Lola Beans has signed a six-unit franchise agreement to expand into Delaware, led by founder Donny Bradley's brother, Jay Bradley, and his wife, Beth. The deal returns the drive-thru beverage brand to a state that already carries deep meaning for the Bradley family. Donny and Jay grew up in Dover, Delaware, while their father was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, and Jay has continued to call the area home. Beth was born and raised in Delaware as well, and the couple relocated five miles north across the state line into Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, eight years ago.
Both brothers built careers in the medical industry before this venture, with Donny previously working in medical device sales and Jay currently serving as a National Trainer for a spine biologics company. Jay said he has had a front-row seat to Lola Beans since the beginning, watching Donny and his wife Missy build something he describes as genuinely different, and that he and Beth are excited to bring that same energy to Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Donny said there is something meaningful about family believing in a business enough to want to become part of it, adding that Jay has seen the hard work behind Lola Beans from the very start. Donny's own path to the brand traces back to 2014, when his work in medical device sales took him, Missy and their family to Soldotna, Alaska, where they became regulars at the area's small drive-thru coffee huts. The genuine connection built during those quick daily interactions became the inspiration for what eventually grew into Lola Beans.
Donny and Missy opened the first Lola Beans in Chattanooga in 2020, followed by a second company-owned location in Cleveland, Tennessee, and continue to invest in additional corporate growth in the state alongside the brand's broader franchise expansion. The Delaware agreement marks the latest step in that growth, extending the brand's footprint into a new state through a partnership built on family history rather than a cold franchise inquiry.
Bringing on new development partners and coordinating a multi-unit rollout like this one requires an organized way to track prospective franchisees as deals come together. Gorilla Dash offers a Recruitment feature designed to help franchise brands manage leads and move candidates through each stage of the process, keeping development on track as agreements like the one in Delaware move from signing to opening.
