1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A) Rather than a typical quick‐service donut shop, Donutique is a “chef‐driven” concept embedded within a luxury resort setting (The Venetian Las Vegas) offering handcrafted, premium donuts and pastries with an emphasis on design, experience, and flavor innovation.
The model blends retail café, premium dessert/pastry boutique, and hospitality setting – appealing to higher‐end consumers, resort guests, tourists, social media–oriented clientele.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A) The origin lies in the founder’s early hospitality background—beginning at a train station coffee shop, moving into bartending, then upper‐management in luxury hotels, then owning/operating restaurants. From there the business evolved into consulting, leveraging that operational experience to advise others, and eventually building proprietary hospitality concepts such as Donutique.
3 – Q) What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A) The idea for Donutique — and for many of our hospitality concepts — came from a lifelong passion for creating experiences that connect people through food and design. We wanted to create something that reflected our own philosophy — that hospitality should be about emotion, not just service. Donutique was born out of that vision. We saw an opportunity to take something familiar and simple — a donut — and reimagine it as an elevated, luxurious experience. Inside The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, we combined artisan pastry techniques, bold flavor profiles, and sophisticated design to create a café where every detail — from the texture of the marble counters to the aroma of freshly baked pastries — tells a story.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A) • Don’t try to do it all alone—build a competent team of specialists (design, marketing, operations).
• Pad your budget/time estimates—creative/concept development always takes more.
• Be ready to pivot and adjust; don’t fixate on ideas/stuff.
• Focus on the right location; experience/foot traffic matter.
• Enjoy the process and stay rooted in creating value for customers, not just chasing ego.
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A) First, adaptability — the ability to pivot and adjust when things don’t go as planned. In hospitality, no two projects or days are ever the same. Markets shift, guests’ expectations evolve, and challenges arise unexpectedly. Successful entrepreneurs stay flexible, make quick decisions, and find creative ways to move forward.
Second, team building. You can’t do it all yourself — and trying to is one of the fastest ways to fail. Surrounding yourself with talented people who complement your strengths is critical. At Assayag Consultants, every great concept we’ve launched has come from collaboration — designers, chefs, marketers, and operators all working toward a shared vision.
Third, financial and operational discipline. Creativity drives growth, but numbers sustain it. Whether opening a restaurant or developing a new brand, you need to understand budgets, timelines, and execution. As we’ve learned over the years, always plan for more time and cost than you expect — and maintain the discipline to see each idea through responsibly.
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
A) I’d rather not say
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
A) Building the right team
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A) That really depends on the business, but the best marketing is always going to be word of mouth so if you create a product that people love, they will continue to come back and tell their friends to as well.
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A) My self an other investment companies I work closely with.
10 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A) Be kind to people and treat everyone with kindness and respect. A simple smile and hello can go a long way and change someone’s day.
11 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A) Hoping to have Donutique become a chain of shops around Las Vegas and the country, in luxury resorts and hotels, and destinations spots where people are looking for a unique experience they won’t find anywhere else.