$10 doughnuts? Some Utah bakeries plan to close over economic concerns

SALT LAKE CITY — At least two Salt Lake City bakeries will close within the next month, citing economic concerns.

The Big O Doughnuts, a gourmet vegan doughnut shop, plans to close on Jan. 15. Owner Ally Curzon blamed inflation, saying she’d need to charge $10 per doughnut for the business to work. A box of oil that cost $24 in 2015 now costs her $75.

French bakery Les Madeleines is shutting down on Dec. 30.

Chef Romina Rasmussen wrote in an Instagram post that “the past few years have been beyond difficult. Difficult to procure ingredients. Difficult to staff the front and, especially, the back.”

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The owners of gourmet donut shop Donut Boy in West Valley City told KSL TV they’re struggling but staying open.

“It is a little stressful,” said Guia Castillo, co-owner. “I’m not going to lie. It’s getting a little stressful.”

The cost of ingredients keeps going up. Castillo said a case of oil is now $83, up from the $40 range when they opened seven years ago.

Even small boxes to hold the doughnuts have increased from 30 to 50 cents, she said.

Her son-in-law, co-owner Don Rodriguez, said they’ve debated raising prices, but business is down and they’re worried about pushing away more customers.

“It feels like we’re just paying employees and paying for ingredients to make our doughnuts,” Rodriguez said. “We get whatever’s left at the end, the crumbs.”

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Castillo said they started their family business because they loved doughnuts and wanted to learn to make them. Donut Boy now offers 32 varieties.

She said they love what they do. They were even on track to expand and hire more employees before business started slowing earlier this year.

“I’m hoping we can survive the economy, the inflation,” Castillo said.