Former Eagle Boys, Pizza Guardians owner opens new Toowoomba business Galactic Donuts

He established one of Australia’s biggest pizza empires and now he’s gone down an entirely different path. Find out why he shut his successful Toowoomba business and what has replaced it here.

He founded one of Australia’s biggest pizza empires but now this successful entrepreneur has traded in pizza dough for doughnuts.

After years of operating businesses in the food industry, Tom Potter has taken on a brand new challenge opening two Galactic Donuts stores in Toowoomba alongside co-owner Nathan Egan.

Best known for opening the first Eagle Boys Pizza store in 1987, Mr Potter went on to build an empire of 280 stores across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, before he sold the venture in 2007 to retire.

Nathan Egan (left) and Tom Potter of Galactic Donuts in Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen

“I was very upset about it for several years, but the doughnuts are a lot more fun,” he said.

“Everyone who walks into Galactic Donuts smiles – it’s like Disneyland in here.”

He later re-entered the business world to open two Pizza Guardian stores in Toowoomba – both sites which have now been transformed into Galactic Donuts shops after three years.

“(The brands are) chalk and cheese but doughnuts are a universally loved product,” Mr Potter said.

“Last Sunday we closed two pizza shops, ripped everything out, wheeled everything in, started production at 11pm on Thursday night and opened the doughnut stores four days later.”

Tom Potter of Galactic Donuts in Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen

Mr Potter said while the Pizza Guardian stores had always been popular, the rise in supplier costs made it impossible to continue.

A baker by trade, and with flour milling and food technician experience under his belt, Mr Potter said he was confident the new business would succeed.

The co-owner estimates nearly 3000 doughnuts were made at the Toowoomba stores on Monday, with 40 staff members employed between the sites.

Made fresh in store by hand, there are 35 flavours to choose from with some of the favourites including salted caramel, mint chocolate and cookies n’ cream.

Galactic Donuts is at 2/798 Ruthven St, Kearneys Spring and 6/131 Anzac Avenue, Newtown.

The stores are open from 7am to 7pm weekdays and from 7am to 8pm on weekends.