EDINBURGH bakery and donut shop, Kilted Donut, has been forced to close its doors for good due to “ongoing economic uncertainty” and “family health challenges”.
The business ran three shops in Leith, Morningside and Grassmarket and was beloved by locals for its large, hearty donuts and baked goods.
From its humble beginnings in Leith, the owners managed to expand to three locations across the city but, despite their successes, they have now been forced to close their doors for good.
Earlier in the year, they were forced to close down their Morningside branch just months after expanding into the Southside.
The Kilted Donuts branch in Grassmarket, Edinburgh (C) Google
In a social media post today, they announced the sad news, and thanked all the patrons they attracted over the years and the Edinburgh community for “every visit, every kind word, and every shared moment”.
Kilted Donut was established in early 2017 after husband-and-wife duo Mark Anderson and Lena Wollan returned from their honeymoon in New Orleans.
On holiday, they fell in love with a donut shop that they would visit every morning.
They thought this kind of donut-specialised establishment represented a gap in the market in Edinburgh, and they decided to open their own donut shop in Edinburgh.
After testing dough recipes on family and friends, they began operating stalls at local markets in Leith, Pitt Street, and Balerno.
They landed on a permanent site in Leith, where their business expanded – eventually employing 24 people in Edinburgh.
Their Grassmarket location flourished while their ill-fated expansion into Morningside was forced to shutter its doors just eight months after opening.
The selection of donuts available from Kilted Donuts (C) Kilted Donuts / X
In a statement posted to Instagram, they said: “After a lot of soul-searching and with heavy hearts, we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close Kilted Donut.
“The mix of ongoing economic uncertainty and family health challenges has made it impossible for us to keep going the way we’d hoped.
“We are deeply grateful for your support over the years — for every visit, every kind word, and every shared moment.
“This community has meant the world to us, and we couldn’t have come this far without you.
“Thank you for coming along on the journey and making it a special one! We have so many great memories from the past 8 years.”
Many took to social media to express their sadness and well-wishes to the company.
One said: “This is so incredibly sad, but I completely understand. I had to close Salt Café for very similar reasons.
“Even the most successful businesses in Edinburgh are struggling to make things sustainable, let alone enjoyable, for their owners anymore.”
Another said: “Your donuts are part of a core memory from my solo trip to Edinburgh in February this year.
“I got up early, got a French toast donut from the cutest Kilted Donut store and headed up to the viewpoint of the castle where I sat down, enjoyed the donut, the silence (no one else was there yet) and the castle.
“Thanks for making this memory such a special one for me.”
Kilted Donut did not specify when their last day of operation will be.
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