National doughnut brand Yonutz, founded in South Florida, opening Miramar store
Yonutz, a doughnut shop chain founded in Broward County and known for its “smash donut” sandwiches, is coming to the Fountains of Miramar.
Restaurant license records show the shop will be located at 2933 SW 160th Ave. in the same plaza as the Marshalls, Panera Bread and Ross.
“We love South Florida,” CEO and co-founder Tony Bahu, originally from Michigan, told the Miramar News on Jan. 30. “You couldn’t pay me to leave. I’ve told people once a day every day since I moved here that I love Florida.”
Tony and Jenny Bahu made a video Jan. 25 in front of the new Miramar location, where they said construction would be getting underway soon.
“When we started Yonutz, we figured we’d start expanding in Florida and Florida would be our first state, but what’s amazing is our expansion didn’t quite go that way,” Tony Bahu said.
While the couple opened the first Yonutz in Sunrise in 2018, the brand gained a lot of its traction out west after the Bahus partnered with Kevin Harrington of “Shark Tank” to franchise the company.
Yonutz gained prominence with its signature “smash donut,” which is a halved doughnut filled with ice cream, sandwiched back together, hot pressed and topped. The creation won the brand the Miami Dessert Wars multiple times, then they became the national champions of the Dessert Wars competition.
“We were expanding everywhere but South Florida, then a gentleman from Miramar approached us,” Tony Bahu said. “We were looking looking looking for locations, driving all over, then he called me and said, ‘I have the perfect location.’”
They signed the paperwork for the Fountains of Miramar spot, and they anticipate the shop could open in late spring, although a concrete opening day hasn’t been determined. The Bahus live nearby in Weston and Tony Bahu’s sister lives in Miramar, so the area is dear to the family.
The new location will also include a “YoClawz!” arcade area consisting of eight machines, which is only the second of its kind for the company.
“We have one in South Dakota. It’s done very well, the people love it,” Tony Bahu said. “They can come play games and have dessert.”
In addition to smash donuts and regular doughnuts, the Yonutz menu includes milkshakes and breakfast sandwiches.
The brand is also opening a location in the Delray Marketplace soon, according to chief operating officer Jenny Bahu.