Federal Donuts Team Planning Epic Expansion

Chef Mike Solomonov finally went on the record about their plans to make Federal Donuts, his Korean fried chicken and fancy doughnut shop, a big-time franchise.

Steve Cook, Solomonov's partner in the restaurant industry, said that they hope to open two new Federal Donuts every year, and that they might have 10 outposts by 2015. The endgame for Solo, though, is much different: "I just want to get big enough where we can have delivery guys in chicken suits scooting around town on mopeds fueled by recycled fryer oil. How awesome would that be?," Solo told Inky critic Craig LaBan.

Serious Eats founder Ed Levine said that FedNuts is part of a growing trend of "vanity shacks," which are high-end chef-driven replicable concepts. The problem is that most never get off of the ground, and homeruns like Shake Shack are few and far between. FedNuts is different than Shake Shack, though, as it challenges diners with unique flavors and ingredients that aren't traditional.

There's no word on where the next FedNuts outpost will pop up, but rest easy knowing that at least one more is on the way in the next year. And while Solo continues to win accolades at his fine dining establishment Zahav, he knows that "this might be what puts my kids through college."

· Federal Donuts: A Hole Lot More [Philly.com]
· All Federal Donuts Coverage [~EPHI~]