Donut Bar Ends Run In San Diego's Pacific Beach After Nearly Six Years In Business

After nearly six years in business, San Diego-born sweet shop chain, Donut Bar, has shuttered its location in Pacific Beach.

Founded by former professional pastry chef Santiago Campa and his partner Wendy Bartels, Donut Bar first opened its doors on B Street in downtown San Diego in 2013. In 2016, the company embarked on a franchising expansion effort, opening additional locations in Southern California and beyond, including the now-closed Pacific Beach branch, which began operating in December 2018.

The popular San Diego-born brand, famous for its oversized, artfully decorated doughnuts, made the decision to shut down its branch at 1380 Garnet Avenue without providing specific reasons for the closure. The plaza also houses Local H2O water store and Parisian-style patisserie, Desserts By Clément.

While the closure in PB marks the end of an era for that location, earlier this year Donut Bar celebrated the relocation of its flagship downtown shop to a larger space. The original B Street store, which had operated for over a decade, relocated to a new home at 1 Columbia Place, just a block from Little Italy. The move to a larger ground-floor space allowed the business to expand its offerings and incorporate new technological experiences for customers.

The downtown Donut Bar & Bakery, located at 410 West A Street, boasts two levels of outdoor patios, a significantly expanded kitchen, and whimsical décor with black-and-white, comic-book-inspired artwork. For the first time, the business offers an augmented reality experience where customers can interact with San Diego’s iconic locations, such as Petco Park and the USS Midway, using QR codes and smartphone technology. Additionally, the new store has branched out from its traditional doughnuts, adding freshly prepared pastries, cakes, and croissants to the menu.

The Pacific Beach closure comes as the company distances itself from previous franchising efforts. In 2020, Donut Bar’s franchising arm, Sweet Assets Franchise Group, filed for bankruptcy amid legal disputes. Today, the Pacific Beach and Chula Vista locations are independently owned and no longer affiliated with Donut Bar’s primary operations.

For more information on the downtown flagship store or Donut Bar's latest offerings, visit donutbar.com.

Originally published on October 25, 2024.