Today we’d like to introduce you to Jinny Cho.
Jinny, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My parents have had donut shops for over 15 years but I can honestly say I never thought I would have one too. I graduated from UTDallas with a biomedical engineering degree in 2016 but a series of life-changing events led me to open Detour Doughnuts in 2018.
Growing up in Dallas, I personally experienced all the changes it went through over the last ten years. It’s fascinating how the city and the suburbs grew into what it is today. One of the reasons I was happy to stay in Dallas for college was because I wanted and needed more time to explore this city. All throughout my four years in college, I was eager to try every restaurant, dessert, and coffee spot that opened in DFW. This really helped me understand Dallas’s palette but also, what it was lacking.
Even just a few years ago, the city was saturated with big name, chain restaurants with only a few spots that really stood out in character, taste, and originality. However, Dallas is leading the nation in people relocations while big cities like LA, Chicago, and New York were experiencing an exodus. The “new” population moving into DFW is what convinced me that a gourmet doughnut shop may just be what this city needed.
The path to opening Detour Doughnuts wasn’t clear since it was such a huge risk opening something different than what was successful for my parents for so many years. But the vision came so naturally to me- to make doughnuts that people can experience, not just “grab and go”. In addition to that, why not make some of the best coffee using my favorite local roaster, Oak Cliff Coffee? Why not invest more time and money into the interior by working with Stash Design, one of Dallas’s favorite design firms? Why should donuts be made so hastily and thrown into a paper bag? Honestly, I think Detour Doughnuts is an extreme extension of some of my favorite things- dessert, coffee, tacos, hospitality, and art.
It brings me so much joy when people walk into our store and can immediately feel that this is no ordinary doughnut shop. I tried to change up as much as I can from the way we display doughnuts, box the doughnuts, our menu, the interior, the selection, so that customers can throw away all their expectations and let us guide them through this formerly mundane, “everyday” habit of grabbing a doughnut in the morning.
So far, it’s been really successful and all our customers, friends, and family have been so supportive of me and my husband, KJ, starting this store when we are just 25 years old. The people I have met and relationships I have made since Detour are such a blessing. It is truly a dream to work here everyday!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh, it was absolutely not a smooth road!! Right after I graduated from UTDallas was when my dad’s health really began to deteriorate. He was suffering from liver disease and also was diagnosed with diabetes. I soon got pregnant after KJ and I got engaged and for two years after that, I spent most of my time being pregnant, having a 9 lb baby, taking my dad to numerous doctor’s visits (my parents are immigrants and English is hard for them), and helping my mom at the doughnut shop since my dad was too weak to work.
This is around the time that I decided I wanted to open a doughnut shop of my own. I already knew I was going to be working a lot since it didn’t seem like my dad was getting any better, so KJ and I took it upon ourselves to learn everything about running a store, including managing the store and making the doughnuts.
My baby boy, Laurence, was born in April of 2017 and it was the happiest day of my life and such a wonderful experience! Once we got home though, I suffered from some sort of depression because this brand new baby came into this world, yet we were taking my dad to the ER literally every other day since his health continued to deteriorate. My mom and I would take turns working the store, going to the hospital, and watching baby Laurence and all plans for Detour was up in the air.
In October of 2017, my dad got on the liver transplant list and less than 48 hours later, I got a call saying he needs to come to the hospital in the next 2 hours. It was a miracle and we couldn’t believe my dad was actually getting a second chance at life.
After two operations, my dad finally woke up and we were on the phone with our realtor, trying to sign the lease for this store in Frisco while still in the ICU.
So there were definitely struggles but they were all a blessing in disguise because I would never take this for granted… it was a long, crazy journey to get here!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Detour Doughnuts story. Tell us more about the business.
Like I said above, Detour Doughnuts is truly an extension of all my favorite things that I also want my customers to experience! I love great doughnuts, great coffee, simple but meaningful interior design. We specialize in gourmet doughnuts but in the store, we have both traditional and gourmet doughnuts. The reason is because we don’t hate people who love glazed doughnuts!! We don’t want to turn people away because they’re overwhelmed by our selection. I still have people that ask me what matcha is or… what mascarpone is. I’m so happy to give the people of Frisco a chance to taste something they’ve never had before!
We also specialize in craft coffee. If I didn’t get a La Marzocco in this store, I wouldn’t have opened it at all- no joke. This is the reason why it’s the first thing you see when you come into the store because I want people to know we take our coffee seriously and that I am willing to put in the time and money into something most doughnut shops would never. Dialing in the espresso machine isn’t easy in the morning when we have so many doughnuts to make every morning, but we do it anyway because you have to! Let’s just say my husband and I have unparalleled quality control. We do everything to keep our doughnuts and coffee top notch.
I’ve branched out into a few other things at the store- we make a lot of custom doughnuts and macarons for birthdays, corporate events, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and weddings. One thing that has really taken off is our doughnut walls! We have a few acrylic boards that we rent out and hang doughnuts from. My main focus on these is to create the most beautiful doughnuts and it’s served as such an artistic outlet for me since I’m free to pretty much make whatever I want! I play around with different icings, consistencies, methods, and it’s so much fun. I did engineering but spent a lot of time volunteering at the Nasher Sculpture Center as well throughout college. I love math and science but I was always passionate about art. I never knew doughnuts would give me an opportunity to explore art, but it’s been a nice surprise.
What sets us apart from other doughnut shops is that we have gourmet flavors (changed out every three months) that you can’t find anywhere else in DFW, but what sets us apart from any bakery or dessert place is the fact that we are a doughnut shop and not a bakery! Here’s what I mean by that- what I’ve come to love about doughnuts is that it is so accessible to everyone. No one will say no to getting a doughnut in the morning or as a snack in the afternoon. I love that I can put all these crazy, wonderful flavors on a base that everyone can enjoy!
Check out our D Magazine articles when you get a chance to! The pictures are so much nicer than the one I take!!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck and blessings in disguise is such a funny thing in my case. I can honestly say if I wasn’t forced to work with my mom because of my dad’s health or if I wasn’t desperate to create a future for my family, I would not have been pressured to open Detour or to even be successful if I didn’t have Laurence- the purpose of my life.
There’s no doubt everything was meant to be and somehow things in life just have a way of working out. I’m in a good place right now but would never risk losing my grit or forgetting how I got here.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8161 FM 423 #250
Frisco, TX 75036 - Phone: 4695353585
- Email: frisco@detourdnc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detourdoughnuts/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/detourdoughnuts/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/detour-doughnuts-and-coffee-frisco
Image Credit:
Novoa Photos, D Magazine
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