Fractured Prune Doughnuts, the Ocean City phenomenon known for hand-dipped doughnuts made-to-order with a choice of glazes, toppings and sugar, is going national.
A new owner plans to spread the concept across the United States and open 50 new franchised stores in the next three years, with about 20 in the Baltimore area. New shops will open by the end of the year at the Inner Harbor and in Towson and Westminster, said CEO Dan Brinton, who bought the company this year from previous owner Sandy Tylor.
Tylor, who oversaw the company's growth over the past few decades, will continue running her shop on 127th Street in Ocean City and act as a brand adviser.
The 37-year-old chain now has 13 locations in Maryland, including Ocean City, Parkville, Halethorpe, Frederick and Salisbury, and in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Later this month, a Fractured Prune will open in Utah, with more planned for New York City, Philadelphia, northern New Jersey, Arizona, California, Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, Idaho, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, Brinton said.
The owner, a former franchise director for various food concepts, saw in Fractured Prune a proven brand and product that speaks to today's consumer. Customers can embellish their doughnuts with a choice of 15 glazes and 15 toppings or pick from offerings such as French Toast (maple, cinnamon and sugar) Blueberry Hill, (blueberry glaze and powdered sugar) and Morning Buzz, (mocha, chocolate and cookie crumbs) among others.
"Being hot, fresh, made-to-order and customized is hitting a trend line not only in our little doughnut world, but in the food industry in general," Brinton said. "People love customization."
And Fractured Prune is ripe for expansion, he said.
"It's been a sleepy little company with an extremely loyal following across the country," he said. "People who visit the Maryland shore and the Jersey shore love this product. People love doughnuts. It brings back part of their youth."