From scratch to scale: Mr D’s owners expanding brand with family owned donut shops at the center

Mr D’s Donuts is continuing a steady expansion across the Kansas City metro, with a new South Overland Park location now in development along with a mid-summer Kansas City, Missouri storefront.

The two projects mark the next phase of growth for Mr D’s Donuts, extending the brand’s reach beyond its original footprint along W. 75th St. in Shawnee and into new parts of the metro where demand has steadily increased.

For husband-and-wife co-owners Johnny Chen and Boggie Otgonbayar, the move into South Overland Park in particular did not come out of nowhere. It followed years of customer requests, and feedback.

A combination of demand and timing ultimately drove the decision, Chen said.

“It’s just that South Overland Park is missing a good family-owned donut shop,” he said. “There are a few places further out, but nothing that really feels like a neighborhood, family-oriented donut and coffee shop.”

Johnny Chen and Boggie Otgonbayar celebrate in March 2026 along with Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and Nexus 5 Group officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for Mr D’s Donuts’ Overland Park location; courtesy photo

South OP push

A new build South Overland Park location is expected to open in fall 2026 at 14463 Metcalf Ave. and will include a drive-through model along with expanded hours designed to support higher-volume service.

A seasonal Salted Caramel Chai donut from Mr D’s Donuts; courtesy photo

A key piece of Mr D’s concept: mochi donuts, which the Shawnee location helped introduce to Kansas. Chen said that offering, along with the area’s demographics, helped strengthen the case for the location.

“We’re also an Asian concept, and there is a large Asian population there that is really craving mochi donuts,” he said. “We’re the first in the state of Kansas to introduce that, and Overland Park has one of the larger Asian populations, so we figured we could test the market.”

Otgonbayar said customer feedback helped confirm what they were already seeing.

“We have a lot of customers from the south saying, ‘Why don’t you open something closer?’” she said. “So we weighed different options, and it just made sense.”

They also pointed to timing and opportunity aligning, including the availability of a suitable space and a landlord partnership that helped move the project forward.

Boggie Otgonbayar preps donuts in the Mr D’s Donuts central kitchen at the shop in Shawnee; courtesy photo

Central kitchen model

While the South Overland Park shop expands the brand’s physical footprint, the new spot will operate differently from the original location.

“It will be a lot smaller as far as seating,” said Chen. “We’re not going to have any production facility. Everything will still come from our central kitchen on 75th Street.”

That centralized model is intentional, he said, and is designed to keep operations consistent across locations while improving efficiency and quality control.

“Everything is made in one place, then delivered out,” Chen said. “That way, every shop is the same.”

Even before construction is complete, early community response has been strong.

“So far it’s been really good. We’re part of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, and it’s really just friends, neighbors, and people around the area supporting us,” Chen said.

Wholesale expansion

Alongside brick-and-mortar expansion, Mr D’s Donuts has also built a growing wholesale operation across the metro.

That includes its presence at Lenexa Public Market, where the company supplies a coffee shop partner daily.

“We make everything here and just deliver it daily,” said Otgonbayar. “That’s how we manage all our accounts around town.”

Those accounts now include roughly 20 partners ranging from small neighborhood cafés to larger roasters. “Pretty much all the roasteries order from us,” said Chen. “We also work with small coffee shops and larger ones. It just depends on their needs.”

Kansas City location next

In addition to the Overland Park project, the team is also preparing a Kansas City, Missouri location at 2001 Pennsylvania Avenue, with an expected opening around mid-June 2026 depending on construction progress.

“We just got the permit,” said Otgonbayar. “It’s an existing building, so we are remodeling it to our standards. That will take some time, but we’re hoping for June.”

Johnny Chen and Boggie Otgonbayar, Mr. D’s Donuts, January 2025; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Built from a 2018 takeover

The business traces its roots back to 2018, when Chen and Otgonbayar took over the original shop from Chen’s godparents as they prepared to retire.

What began as an unexpected opportunity has since grown into a much larger operation and a team of roughly 30 employees.

“We sat down, reviewed everything, and made sure it was profitable,” said Chen. “We did our due diligence, and then we just went for it.”

The early days were hands-on and intense, marked by long hours and a steep learning curve.

“We came in at 2 a.m. on the first day,” said Otgonbayar. “He showed us how everything was done. We were here learning everything from scratch.”

Grit behind the progress

Both co-owners point to consistency and persistence as the foundation of their success.

“It’s about grit,” said Otgonbayar. “It’s not about talent or background. It’s about showing up every single day and doing the work, even when it’s hard.”

Chen said a broader mission of forming their own community has always been part of the goal.

“We just want to spread the love for donuts,” he said. “We want it to be a place where families can come in, not feel stressed, and just enjoy something simple.”