In the RBA Member Spotlight series, we'll be profiling valued members of the Retail Bakers of America community.

This week, we're looking at MAD Donuts in White Plains, New York. When owner Matthew Moore and his family moved to White Plains, they missed the great donut shops in New York City. To them, it felt like a great opportunity to bring the type of options they were accustomed to in New York City to White Plains. MAD Donuts started at the White Plains Farmers Market with a booth during the 2018 season and the rest is history.

Today, the family-owned, minority-owned business has earned a stellar reputation for its artisanal donuts that are hand-cut and handmade with fresh, natural ingredients.

Get to know Matthew Moore and MAD Donuts more below.

How many years have you been in business?

MAD Donuts: Six years.

What made you want to get into the baking industry/why are you passionate about baking?

My grandmother would make me and my brother donuts for breakfast when I was a kid. They were these little beignets dusted in powdered sugar and cinnamon. This childhood experience ignited my passion for baked goods. I did a lot of home baking for many years. Fast forward many years later, I'm 20 years into a corporate career and live in a suburb outside of New York City that's filled with some great Italian bakeries but no donut shops. It felt like the right time to start taking my passion into a more serious direction which led me to start MAD Donuts. 

What are your top-selling products/what product do you consider to be your specialty?

I specialize in artisan, hand cut brioche-style yeast donuts but I make all kinds of donuts. Despite the fancy ones, my most popular donut is my glazed donut and apple fritter. 

What do you see trending in the industry?

More bakeries leveraging social media for not just marketing but also as an additional stream of revenue. TikTok and YouTube can monetize content which can develop into more steady revenue stream after you have developed a following. I am still learning and just starting to develop videos but I aim to more fully leverage this technology. 

How has your RBA membership made a difference in your business?

I learn a lot from the message board and networking that the membership has enabled. The formula library is really interesting also. One of the most valuable things i learned was from the profit survey. It allowed me to understand my cost base targets from a more bottoms-up perspective. I had no idea where to start and it helped me think about food costs at a more aggregate level. It has been a doc that I reference often. 

What have you learned from customers over the years?

Don’t underestimate the simple flavors. Some of my best donuts were the easiest. Most people won’t appreciate the effort and additional cost to make a donut “fancy". My most consistently sold out donuts are the classic flavors. 

What are your plans for the bakery in the coming years (expansion, digital, new offerings, etc.)?

I had a store for about 4 months and then closed it due to COVID. I laid off about 20 people and returned to doing events and pop-ups. I have been doing this much smaller, micro bakery since COVID. 

I currently rent a kitchen at my church in order to keep my overhead as low as possible. I plan on starting up weekend deliveries, more frequent donut pop-ups and exploring memberships, workshop courses and my TikTok social media footprint.

As far as product offerings, I recently added millet gluten free, mochi and vegan. I want to keep refining my process by offering more diverse options that can cater to a more diverse customer base. 

What do you look for when hiring staff?

I hire people who are passionate about baking, have some basic skills and want to learn. Additional traits I look for are being punctual, having a desire to learn and aren’t afraid of hard work are what I look for when hiring staff. Believe it or not, these are hard traits to find! 

What would you have done differently in starting your business/what do you wish you could tell your past self when starting your business?

Don’t open a store until you can fully dedicate your time to baking and running the business. When I opened my store, I delegated the operations to managers and lots of support staff. I still have my day job and tried to do both my new store and my current job. The payroll costs were too high but more importantly I was no longer doing what made me passionate about doing this business in the first place: baking. My next storefront will have a takeaway-style storefront, minimal staff and a small kitchen - and I will be a lot more hands-on. 

Interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Retail Bakers of America? Click here.

Current RBA members, email Marlene O’ Connell (marlene@retailbakersofsmerica.org) to learn how you can be featured in an upcoming member spotlight.