‘‘It’s heartbreaking.’ Why this popular doughnut shop is closing all Miami locations

This news may leave a hole in your heart: One of Miami’s favorite spots for doughnuts is closing.

Mojo Donuts, one of South Florida’s favorite doughnut shops, announced that it is closing its three Miami-Dade locations in Kendall, Coral Gables and Westchester. The brand’s original location, opened by Shawn and Shelly Neifeld in 2013 in Pembroke Pines, will remain open.

The brand announced the closings via social media, thanking customers for their passion.

“We’re beyond grateful for the love and support from each of you — you’ve made every donut, every smile, and every day at Mojo unforgettable,” the post said.

Jimmy Piedrahita, who partnered with Shawn Neifeld to bring Mojo Donuts to Miami, said the decision was difficult but that rising costs across the board made the closings after almost eight years inevitable.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “The cost wasn’t sustainable. Even the price of flour doubled.”

Larger restaurants can bear the price increases in products more easily than a small business, he said.

“They can absorb the cost of inflation,” he said. “They can add four dollars to the price of a dessert or five to a bottle of wine. But us, we’re a humble doughnut shop. What we sell are doughnuts and coffee. And I can’t sell a $17 doughnut. I just can’t do it.”

The first Miami Mojo opened in suburban Westchester in 2016, and the brand went on to open a location in Coral Gables near South Miami in 2018 and a third inside El Car Wash in Kendall.

Mojo was known for its uncanny ability to incorporate sweet and savory flavors into its doughnuts, featuring flavors like the creme brulee with a torched top or the popular 420 Munchies, a glazed yeast doughnut topped with chocolate, Snickers crumbles and potato sticks. There were inspired inventions, like the Flantastic, a glazed yeast donut with flan at its center.

The shop was the first and only doughnut shop featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Dives, and Drive Ins” series.

The Miami locations will close Nov. 15, so there’s still time to order your favorites. Piedrahita isn’t sure what his next move is — his texts have blown up with industry friends suggesting meetings, so the future is wide open — but he wants to continue his relationship with the city he moved to at age 10.

“When I first said I was planning to open a doughnut shop, people looked at me and said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ ” he said. “But I’m proud of how the community embraced us. I’m proud of what we accomplished with our community. That made it all worthwhile.

“My love for this city is untouchable. At the end of the day this town means more to me than dollars and cents. Miami always has my heart.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 11:17 AM.