Shipley Do-Nuts hires Bonchon CEO as top exec

Dive Brief:

Shipley Do-Nuts appointed Flynn Dekker as its new CEO, the company wrote Tuesday in an email to Restaurant Dive.
Dekker, who had previously served as Bonchon’s CEO since January 2019, succeeds Clifton Rutledge, who will rejoin the company’s board of directors. Rutledge had served as CEO since June 2021.
Shipley Do-Nuts is undergoing rapid growth, adding over 200 units to its development pipeline since 2021.

Dive Insight:

Shipley expects to double its system’s unit growth this year compared to 2022, according to a press release. Its current pipeline will bring the chain to Maryland, Georgia and Virginia and grow its footprint in Colorado, Florida and Texas.

The company, which operates over 330 locations across 12 states, has instituted several strategic initiatives to foster expansion, including establishing a systemwide coffee program and an online ordering system. The latter platform helped increase ticket averages by almost 20% last year. Shipley Do-Nuts also plans to introduce a loyalty program systemwide this year after a successful test at its corporate-owned locations in Houston, where thousands of new members signed up within a few weeks.

Dekker’s 30-plus years of executive leadership experience in the restaurant and retail industry can help oversee this rapid growth. In his previous position at Bonchon, he helped the company develop a technology stack, online ordering and a unified point-of-sales system to make operations easier for its growing franchisee base. As of March, the company, which has 120 units domestically, had a pipeline in the U.S. of over 100 units.

Prior to Bonchon, Dekker served as CMO at Wingstop for about four years leading “strategic advertising, franchisee communication, branding, media and marketing efforts,” Shipley Do-Nuts said in the press release. He also worked at Rave Restaurant Group and Fogo de Chão, as well as various retail companies.

“Flynn is an exceptionally strong leader and brings an impressive background across numerous executive roles, and his experience and talent will help to continue driving significant growth in the business through new unit expansion, same-store sales growth and enhanced operations,” Robert Strauss, senior managing director at Peak Rock Capital and member of the Shipley board of directors, said in a statement.