An Augusta sweets bakery is closing its brick-and-mortar shop Saturday with thoughts of opening a food truck in 2024.
Heroes Donuts, 3328 Washington Road, Suite 1-A, will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, but the official closing is Monday, when the shop typically isn’t open. It’s in the Le Pavilion shopping center that includes nightclub Chevy’s and ice cream shop Dippin’ Dots.
“I wish we could’ve given our customers some time, but we only found out Monday, Tuesday, something like that,” Jocelyn Sao told The Augusta Chronicle on Friday. The Saos announced Heroes Donuts’ closure Wednesday on the business’ Facebook page, citing “the inability to find adequate staffing combined with our disagreement with our new lease terms” while they thanked all their loyal customers.
The business specializes in doughnuts, pastries and coffee. She and her husband, Miles, opened Heroes Donuts in 2020 just as the global COVID-19 pandemic began peaking.
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One customer Friday, giving his name only as Caelan, mourned Heroes Donuts’ closing because he’ll lose his go-to spot for kolaches. Czech immigrants to America brought recipes for the flaky pastry with sweet or savory fillings such as fruit or meat.
“The kolaches are kind of a Texas thing and I’m from Texas. You normally can’t find them anywhere else but Texas, or maybe Oklahoma,” he said. “To find some that are tasty and remind me of home, that’s why I came to this place almost every week. My son, my wife and I all love it.”
Mrs. Sao said that she and her husband will consider starting a food truck next year to seek out customers in several locations instead of continuing to wait for customers to find its fixed location in a commercial strip.
“After the December break we’ll talk about food truck stuff because that would be a different permit, but it would still be under the same name,” she said. “With the food truck you kind of have your own hours. You just advertise, versus a brick-and-mortar. You’re committed to that time right here, all the time.”
