‘It’s like family’: Broadway Donuts employee takes over shop to avoid closure
On a foggy December Friday morning, Broadway Donuts sat steady on the same 28th Street and Broadway corner it has called home for decades.
A morning that was supposed to be filled with sadness for the business was instead hopeful and nostalgic. The doughnut shop planned to shut its doors on Friday after its owners announced their retirement, but its longtime baker saved the establishment at the eleventh hour.
The So family has owned the Broadway staple, at 2731 Broadway, in Sacramento, since 1988. The patriarch of the family passed along the shop’s operations to son Josan So in 2010, who has run the business ever since.
Earlier this year, So suffered a stroke. He made the difficult decision to retire from the business to focus on his recovery. He announced his retirement and the doughnut shop’s imminent closure on Facebook earlier this month.
“(I feel) kind of sad, I tried to keep it going for three months, but physically I’m not able to do it,” So said. “It’s time for me to take care of myself.”
But less than two weeks later, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, the shop surprised the community. On Facebook, the shop announced that one of its staff members volunteered to keep the shop open.
That employee is Don Thach, Broadway Donuts’ main baker for the last 36 years. So said he felt surprised when the 72-year-old demonstrated interest in managing Broadway Donuts.
“It’s pretty nice that he wants to keep it going,” So said. “He’s pretty much like my uncle and my other dad.”
In his final days running the bakery, So showed Thach the ropes of the business’s administrative side. Thach said he will still bake doughnuts part-time, but he plans to hire another baker to fill in the gaps.
Thach said the shop will remain the same, save for some minor interior remodels and redecorations.
“I work here since (So’s) father owned this business, and (So) was still little,” Thach said. “We look like part of the family, so I try to help them keep open.”
Community members showed up for So, Broadway Donuts
Friday morning appeared like any other. Early risers popped into the shop to pick out their dozen of choice for their family or workplace, while So, Thach and their sole employee calmly performed their typical duties.
Some customers stopped So to chat, to ask about his recovery and how his family is doing. Others shared stories of spending countless mornings at Broadway Donuts and memories they made with the So family.
Elk Grove residents Lee Washington and Roberta Gabel frequented Broadway Donuts for years when they worked together at the Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District. The pair would get coffee and doughnuts every morning before work, Gabel said.
Since their retirement, the pair have not visited the shop as often, but something compelled them to visit Friday morning. It was merely a coincidence that they stopped by on So’s last day.
“(Washington) just woke up and wanted to get doughnuts,” Gabel said. “It’s just sad (to see So leave).”
Washington shared Gabel’s feelings on the longtime owner’s departure. The customer said he watched the business’ evolution from its doughnut origin to adding a coffee menu and eventually offering trinkets So’s wife makes by hand.
“It’s a pillar of the community,” Washington said. “It’s like family, I’ve been coming here for a very long time. I’m going to still patronize the establishment, but it’s gonna be hard.”
Despite Washington’s fierce loyalty to So and his family, he said he trusts Thach’s extensive experience at the shop.
“It’s gonna be great, you’re gonna do good,” Washington said to Thach. “This place will never shut down. Too many people grew up with it.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM.
.jpg)