DONUTNV: Franchise Fastlane’s Jake Hamburger No Longer a Franchisee
Franchise Fastlane pitchman Jake Hamburger sold a lot of DonutNV franchises in recent years. Part of his sales pitch was that DonutNV was such a great semi-absentee business that HE bought a franchise. However, the salesman’s Omaha, NE franchise is no longer listed on the DonutNV website… its Facebook page appears to have been deleted… & Google Reviews says Jake Hamburger’s Omaha DonutNV is “Permanently Closed.” by Sean Kelly
Read our continuing reporting & analysis on DonutNV here: The DonutNV Franchise Report (Index)
Jake Hamburger of Franchise Fastlane was the driving force behind the aggressive sales effort and meteoric growth of the DonutNV franchise chain.
Franchise Fastlane EVP Jennifer Cain was also credited with early sales of the mini-donut franchise which grew from 4 franchised outlets at the beginning of 2022 to 143 outlets by the end of 2024 (according to the 2025 DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document FDD).
Outsourced franchise sales organization Franchise Fastlane promoted Jake Hamburger’s investment in the Omaha, NE franchise of DonutNV as validation of the mobile mini-donut concept, which they claimed could be successful run semi-absentee while maintaining a full-time job.
Franchise Fastlane EVP Jennifer Cain was Hamburger’s partner in the mini-donut franchise, according to the 2024 & 2025 FDDs. Cain left Franchise Fastlane in January, 2024. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as “Franchising Enthusiast” and contains no mention of her role as a franchisee of DonutNV Omaha.
We’ve learned that Hamburger & Cain sold their franchise to a “new franchisee,” who will operate in a different market. An established Nebraska franchisee may begin to serve some or all of the Omaha market.
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Other Brokers Have Left DonutNV… or Are Trying to…
In addition to Jake Hamburger& Jen Cain, a few other franchise salespeople or brokers who bought DonutNV franchises have left the system – or are trying to leave.
Mike Flowers: Franchise Sidekick advisor Mike Flowers sold his Panama City, FL franchise to become a franchise broker… preferring to promote donut franchises rather than donuts themselves. However, it appears Franchise Sidekick has dropped DonutNV from their preferred franchise list altogether.
Dennis Stein: Dennis Stein is a Long Island-based franchise broker and multi-brand franchisee. Although DonutNV lists its minimum initial investment at $189,580, Stein has listed a DonutNV franchise on BizBuySell for $49,500.
Jeff Bruce: Jeff Bruce is a Franchoice franchise broker who bought the Natick, MA DonutNV for his son, Jake Bruce. Jake’s ad for a manager sounds like he’s fishing for a new owner: “We’re hiring a full-time General Manager to fully own the operations, sales, and team leadership of DonutNV Natick… for someone who wants autonomy, ownership…”
The 2025 DonutNV FDD Claims 22 Franchises & 22 Franchisees Have Left the System
The 2025 DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document FDD states that 22 franchises exited the system through termination (1), reacquisition by the franchisor (3), transfers (19), and ceased operations for other reasons (1).
The FDD also lists only 22 owners “who had an outlet terminated, canceled, not renewed, or otherwise voluntarily or involuntarily ceased to do business under the franchise agreement during the most recently completed fiscal year.”
Of those 22 owners, it states that only one (Darlene Ortega) “owned and operated multiple outlets.”
We find this claim, and several others, worthy of additional discussion & investigation.
Are you familiar with the DonutNV franchise opportunity?
Are you familiar with Franchise Fastlane?
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Tags: DonutNV, DonutNV franchise, DonutNV franchise earnings, DonutNV franchise opportunity, Donut franchise, Franchise Fastlane, Alex Gingold, Amanda Gingold, Jake Hamburger, Jennifer Cain, Franchise Sidekick, Franchoice, IFPG, Franserve, Franchise Brokers Association,
