A New Orleans-style cafe chain known for made-to-order beignets and specialty coffee is opening its first two Ohio locations in the Columbus area, filling long-vacant suburban storefronts in Hilliard and Westerville. Beignets & Brew has listed a coming-soon spot at 2495 Hilliard Rome Road in Franklin County and another at 7381 State Route 3 in Delaware County, according to the company's own location listings. Neither cafe has an announced opening date yet.
The chain was founded in Destin, Florida, in May 2023 by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Chris and Shannon Kramolis, as reported by 614NOW. The founding team includes restaurant industry veterans who previously helped build a national chain with more than 1,600 locations, according to Beignets & Brew's own franchising materials. That operational pedigree appears to be fueling a fast climb: the brand currently counts 25 locations open, per reporting from NBC4 WCMH-TV, with 14 more listed as coming soon.
The Hilliard storefront sits in the Silver Horn Center, a space that previously housed a Dirty Dough gourmet cookie shop that opened in March 2023 and is no longer listed in active local business directories, per 614NOW's reporting. The Westerville location is taking over a 1,400-square-foot space in Northgate Plaza that formerly held a GNC nutrition store, according to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Northgate Plaza sits along State Route 3 and is anchored by a Kroger, near the busy Maxtown Road commercial junction.
Staffing Already Underway in Westerville
Even without a confirmed opening date, hiring has already started. Job listings posted in August show active recruitment for a General Manager at the Westerville cafe, with an advertised salary between $40,000 and $55,000 annually plus full-time benefits and an employee discount, according to postings reviewed on Indeed. Per the company, Beignets & Brew locations typically take 90 to 180 days to open once a lease is signed, and stores generally run between 800 and 2,000 square feet depending on the market.
Franchisees taking on a Beignets & Brew location face an estimated initial investment of $250,000 to $450,000, which includes a $30,000 franchise fee, a 6% royalty fee, and a 1.5% national advertising contribution, according to the company's franchising materials. Applicants must also show at least $100,000 in liquid capital and a $250,000 net worth. The company describes its concept as a community-focused cafe built around fresh beignets, specialty coffee and hospitality.
What's on the Menu
The beignet itself is a square, deep-fried piece of dough — traditionally dusted with powdered sugar and notably without a hole — that originated in French and Creole cooking and became a signature treat of New Orleans. Louisiana officially designated the beignet as its state doughnut in 1986, honoring a pastry brought to the region by French and Acadian settlers in the 18th century, according to the Columbus Navigator. The result, per NBC4 WCMH-TV, is pillowy rather than dense.
Beignets & Brew centers its menu on made-to-order beignets sold individually, by the dozen, or in larger shareable boxes — the Columbus Navigator notes portions come as four-piece orders, dozen boxes, or 24-piece bite-sized sets. Beyond traditional beignets with powdered sugar, the chain offers cinnamon-roll-inspired versions, cinnamon sugar and Nutella specialty beignets, and caramel-pecan turtle beignets, alongside seven dipping sauces: buttercream, blueberry, honey, icing, caramel, chocolate and Nutella. A seasonal menu adds strawberry cheesecake beignets and a mango peach refresher, and the food menu extends to breakfast croissants, a chicken-and-beignets plate, and a honey butter chicken croissant.
On the drink side, the chain serves drip coffee, cold brew, cappuccinos, tea, matcha, smoothies, lemonade and energy drinks, along with specialty lattes like biscoff cookie butter, honey-cinnamon lavender, Nutella and salted caramel mocha.
Part of a Fast-Moving Southern Expansion
Ohio is just the latest stop in a rapid, multi-state push. Beignets & Brew currently has locations across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina, according to the company's website, and its development pipeline includes new franchises in Fort Mill, South Carolina, plus several Alabama markets including Cullman, Decatur, Homewood and Huntsville. Hoodline reported in February on the chain's move into Boca Raton, Florida, where state filings tied a planned Polo Shoppes storefront to an entity called Boca Cravings LLC.
For now, the Hilliard and Westerville projects remain in the build-out phase. Store listings and job postings confirm work is underway, but firm opening dates and local franchisee details have not been announced, per 614NOW. Central Ohio residents curious about the New Orleans import will need to keep watching for permit approvals and hiring updates as the two cafes edge closer to their debut.
