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Twin Donuts will close after decades of serving breakfast in Allston
An employee Monday said the closure was due to the price of "everything" going up.
Twin Donuts, a decades-old landmark in Allston known for its budget-friendly breakfast among college students and Allston residents, is closing later this month.
The news broke Sunday in an Allston-Brighton Facebook group, which said that March 23 would be the diner’s last day of service.
Boston.com confirmed that Twin Donuts is closing for good from an employee over the phone, who said that it was because of the increasing price of “everything” — mentioning ingredients like eggs and supplies — as the reason for closure.
Twin Donuts and its landmark neon sign have been in Allston since the 1950s. Multiple owners had come and gone through the years, but current ownership, the Taing family, has run the business for 25 years.
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The restaurant had only served doughnuts and other breakfast pastries until the Taings introduced a full breakfast menu to the establishment, which then drew a crowd of service workers and college students, according to Eater Boston.
One of the owners, Catherine Taing, told Eater in 2023 that business had slowed down due to the pandemic and gentrification of Allston.
“There is definitely not that crowd of students,” Catherine Taing told the publication. “Twin Donuts used to be popular with the hippie-punk crowd that used to be prevalent in Allston; it’s just not there anymore. With rents skyrocketing, it’s pushed those regulars out.”
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The news of its closure stirred emotions and memories from the Allston-Brighton community online who were saddened to see Twin Donuts bid farewell.
“So sad to see a legacy business like Twin Donuts closing, they are a valued partner in the neighborhood and have been a great breakfast spot for the past 25 years,” Allston Village Main Streets said on Instagram. “Every time anyone gives directions to or from Allston, Twin Donuts is invariably used as a marker. Let’s continue to support them this month, and keep supporting their sister locations in Brighton [Brighton Cafe and Cafe Mirror].”
“Damn this is sad … more and more neighborhood spots going out like this zaps the area’s character,” wrote one Reddit user in a post about the closure.
Tell us: Do you have a special memory of dining at Twin Donuts? What were some of your favorite dishes? Let us know what you’ll miss about the restaurant. Share with us in the survey below or e-mail us at [email protected], and your response may appear in an upcoming Boston.com article.
What will you miss about Twin Donuts in Allston?
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