Former Hockey Player Runs Omsk's Only Donut Chain

You have probably noticed the small kiosk with the sign «Donuts from Gleb» (Ponchiki ot Gleba) at the KDT «Mayakovsky» bus stop. It opened in 2018 — right after Gleb Plotnikov returned from military service. He had no business experience then, but his eyes were bright and he had a fierce desire to learn on the go.

Over the years the pavilion survived several crises but never closed. Two years ago a second location opened — at the bus stop near the Polytechnic University (Politekh). That is how Omsk got its only donut chain. NGS55.RU correspondent Kristina Savinykh met the 33-year-old owner and learned what it is like to develop an atypical business for the city and stay afloat when everything around is changing.

Before business, Gleb Plotnikov«s life was completely different: childhood spent in hockey, the army, and then — rushing between dozens of pursuits. He tried screw piles and sliding-door wardrobes, and even worked as a waiter in a catering business. But his heart was not in any of it. So the young man decided to act on the principle of »looking for what Omsk does not have.« The logic was simple: if no one has occupied the niche, it will be in demand. Thus, eight years ago, the idea of a donut kiosk was born.

«There was a choice between hot dogs and donuts, but I never quite got around to trying hot dogs,» Gleb recalls. «But I made donuts at home and gave them to people to try — they said it was delicious. And that was it. I thought: »My hour has come, I need to go and open up.«»

The location for the first spot came about almost by accident. At the time, Plotnikov lived on the Left Bank (Levoberezhny) and worked at «Shashlychny Rai» (Kebab Paradise). Every morning he got off at the stop near «Mayakovsky» and saw an empty pavilion.

«I look at it and think, »Good spot, why isn«t anyone renting it?»« he says.

Later the entrepreneur visited several other locations around the city but eventually returned to that same kiosk next to the popular cinema.

When the first location opened, Gleb Plotnikov admits he learned literally everything on the go — and not just cooking. For example, in the first days he pressed the «espresso» button on the coffee machine, saw that very little drink came out, and immediately thought the machine was broken. He had to figure out the equipment from scratch.

But the recipe for the very donuts he has been selling for eight years did not come about right away. Developing it took about three years.

«I had the idea of coming up with a story that I had supposedly inherited the recipe from my ancestors. But unfortunately, no. I arrived at this recipe over about three years together with food technologists from Moscow and Omsk. I made acquaintances with chefs, and they explained everything to me.»

The main feature is a special fondant glaze. Plotnikov borrowed this trick from his Western colleagues. The essence is simple: every donut is dipped in melted sugar during preparation.

«That is mostly how they do it in America. They dip the tips in the fondant. I looked for videos on YouTube in English and could not understand what they were coating the donuts with. I took that video to food technologists, and they said, »It«s just like how they coat a rum baba.» But no, it turned out to be something completely different.«

Gleb still fries the donuts himself. Every day, without days off, he gets up at 5–6 a.m. (5–6 a.m.), goes to the location, and prepares stock for the display case until 11 a.m. or noon. In that time, he produces up to a thousand donuts. And he is not yet ready to put someone else in his place.

«My hand is needed. Without cooks, I can do everything in four hours, but a person takes 12. And I would still have to pay a full day»s wages.«

He has already had the experience of running two kiosks at once. In September 2020 he opened a donut shop in the «Mayak» shopping center on the Left Bank. The location lasted only eight months. And although business was going reasonably well during the COVID period, the entrepreneur closed it with relief.

«I saw potential in it, and it was showing decent results, but I did the wrong thing by taking on two locations by myself. That is a dead end,» Plotnikov admits. «If you are alone at one location — stand there calmly. When you open a second, third, fourth — hire someone, step away from one location, and stop cooking.»

Now the situation is different. Two years ago a second location opened at the «Polytechnic» (Politekh) stop, but there a business partner handles the cooking — a childhood friend with whom Gleb played hockey.

«He went on to develop further in hockey and became a coach, but then something did not work out for him. He did not know what to do, and I suggested: »Let«s [work] together. I have been here for a while now and I think everything should be fine.» He said, «Let»s do it,« and that was that.»

Both locations have salespeople. But for a while there was staff turnover. Plotnikov believes the issue was himself: he did not immediately learn how to build relationships with staff properly.

«It did not dawn on me right away that not all people are the same as me. Any entrepreneur will take everything on themselves. I thought employees would do the same. No, a more correct approach is needed here. For example, you need to spell out right away what tasks a person will face. I had no nuances before — everything was just by ear. People take things in by ear with more difficulty, because they do not see in front of them what else needs to be done.»

In 2026 the donuts went up in price by two rubles (about $0.03 at current rates). The price list now looks like this: a classic donut in powdered sugar — 36 rubles (about $0.45 at current rates), one with filling or glaze — 46 rubles (about $0.58 at current rates). The owner calculates the cost strictly by ingredients.

«I raise the price based on what suppliers show me, and start calculating,» he explains. «Everything worked out well, and I continued earning. Most likely there will be another increase, because so far price growth has not stopped. But if I do raise it, it will not be by much. I will step on my own interests and meet the customer halfway.»

The audience at the kiosks is very diverse: students, grandmothers, drivers of expensive cars. The best sellers are donuts with plombir ice cream, with chocolate glaze, and the classic one.

Gleb does not count on word of mouth — he attracts customers through advertising.

«You advertise on the radio — gradually people come from the radio; you give [ads] to bloggers — they come from the bloggers,» he says. «Wherever you put promotion, that is where people start coming from.»

«Donuts from Gleb» essentially has no direct competitors in Omsk. And even with other roadside kiosks selling food, the entrepreneur does not feel a race.

«I even heard an interesting theory that if there were other donut shops in the city, I would be doing better. People could compare where it is better to go. In essence, I am the only one in the city telling people what donuts are. You will not believe it, but when I was opening, people came in and asked, »Where are your donuts?«»

The entrepreneur is convinced that competition is normal and stimulates growth. Precisely because it is absent, he may be slacking in some areas.

As for the future, there are no clear plans. With the appearance of a partner, Gleb has begun thinking about development more often. The desire to expand the chain definitely exists.

«We think, »Why not try?« But will it work or not? I have somewhere to retreat to. If it works out, that will be great.»

The entrepreneur also has no major fears for the business. He has hardly even thought about it. The main lesson he drew from all the crises is to be flexible and adapt.

«Omsk is an ordinary city, like all the regions. There will always be bus stops, and people will always sell something inexpensive at them. If the moment comes when kiosks become obsolete, I will think of something and keep moving forward.»