For generations of Vancouverites, Lee's Donuts has been more than a place to grab a sweet treat.
Since opening on Granville Island in 1979, the shop has become a local institution. But what many customers may not know is how much has changed behind the scenes as it went from a single location into a business with 11 locations and plans for further expansion.
When husband-and-wife team Allan and Celine Bacani purchased Lee's Donuts in 2017, they saw an opportunity to build on a beloved brand's legacy. But growth brought a new challenge: How do you bring Lee's Donuts to more people without losing what made it special in the first place?
"This brand was here before us and it's gonna look a little different when we pass the torch. But while we're here we have a mission to go beyond doughnuts and really serve the community in a meaningful way," Celine told Square.
The key was to improve the things that customers rarely see. Legacy payment systems and operational processes that worked for a single location needed to evolve as the business expanded into new stores, offsite events and future franchise opportunities.
Lee's DonutsCourtesy of Lee's Donuts
To help them, Lee's Donuts adopted Square tools to help manage payments, scheduling, reporting and multi-location operations through a more streamlined system.
According to the company, this helped the team build consistent workflows that could be replicated as the business grew.
Today, Lee's Donuts is preparing for its next chapter while staying rooted in the community that helped make it a Vancouver favourite. The company is planning further expansion and developing new ways for customers to connect with the brand.
"Square gives us a system we can duplicate. That is how we grow the brand for the people building it with us," said Celine.
For Lee's Donuts, growth wasn't just about selling more donuts. It was about finding a way to share a local institution with more Canadians while preserving the experience that made people line up for it in the first place.