From the same place where his father used to buy him shoes when he was a boy, Tommy Chang is now running a successful startup in town.
What was once a Payless ShoeSource in Santa Barbara’s Turnpike Shopping Center is now Kin, a doughnut shop created by Chang and business partner Will Chen.
It’s not an average doughnut shop. Every day that it’s open, a line forms out the door, extending more than 100 people, with the wait time as much as two hours. Every day.
The mochi and brioche doughnuts are the talk of the town.
“Everything has been word of mouth,” Chang said. “We’ve never put any money into marketing. We’ve never worked with anybody to get our name out there. We get so many people coming in saying, ‘Our waiter, our barista, my optometrist at Costco told me to come in here.’ It’s so crazy to see who is telling other people about what we are doing here.”
Chang’s father, DJ Chang, is a karate instructor. He grew up in Santa Barbara, attending Hollister Elementary and Laguna Blanca schools. He has a degree in management science from UC San Diego and worked for a tech company in Los Angeles, most recently as a marketing specialist. Chen was his boss.
When Chang decided he wanted something different in a career, he asked Chen to work with him, and the two learned the craft of baking from an unlikely source: YouTube.
“Trial and error,” he said. “We tweaked it together.”
Chang specializes in brioche doughnuts, and Chen in mochi doughnuts. They experimented.
“My friends and family are all tired of trying it because every time I make a new batch I am, like, calling people and saying, ‘Hey, I think I made some improvements on it. Try, try try,”” Chen said. “We just kept tweaking it until it was just right.”
They make brioche doughnuts Friday through Sunday, and he said it takes two or three days to make each batch. Chang wakes up at 2 a.m. to start baking. He makes about 250 a day.
Chen gets in about 6:30 a.m. and starts making mochi doughnuts, about 500 a day.
“Mochi doughnuts are less intensive to make, so we are able to do a bigger volume,” he said.
They make about 900 a day, including muffins.
The shop, at 199 S. Turnpike Road, Suite 103 in Santa Barbara, is open Thursday through Monday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., but every day they sell out of doughnuts long before 4 p.m.
The restaurant also sells drinks, including Vietnamese coffee, Thai iced tea and Horchata.
The doughnuts are sweet, but they pale in comparison to Chang and Chen, both of whom exude kindness, authenticity and warmth. Their restaurant is not just about doughnuts, they say. It’s about culture.
“When Will and I were thinking about the name, the name ‘Kin,’ it just made so much sense,” Chang said. “The name is paying homage to the people who come here. This wouldn’t happen without them, and we want them to know that.”
They did no market research, and they weren’t picky about the space. They don’t even have a sign in front of the building. They knew they did not want to be in downtown Santa Barbara because that wasn’t their vibe.
They have about 25 employees, and they treat them like family.
“If we have a healthy, happy team, they will in turn take care of the customers,” Chen said. “A lot of people feel that so they kind of like coming here because of the interactions they have with us and the team.”
They said they are humbled and grateful by the response from the community.
“When we started Kin, it wasn’t really, ‘Let’s go sell a bunch of doughnuts and make a lot of money,'” Chen said. “It was about bringing people together.”
Montecito Restaurant Closes
Coast & Olive in Montecito will close its doors on Sunday.
“After four wonderful years of serving our cherished community, we have made the decision to close our doors,” owner Jason Copus said. “Since our opening, Coast & Olive has been more than just a business; it has been a gathering place for friends and family, a hub of creativity, and a space where countless memories were made. We are incredibly grateful for the support and loyalty of our customers, who have made these past four years so special.”
The restaurant opened in June 2020 and is the former site of the Montecito Cafe and The Monarch. The restaurant is 1295 Coast Village Road, at the Montecito Inn.
“While this chapter is coming to a close, we look forward to what the future holds,” said Copus, who also owns the Montecito Inn. “The Montecito Inn will be sharing good news soon about how the space will be roaring back in the near future.”
Ballard Inn Sold
Kirkwood Collection has acquired the Ballard Inn in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Kirkwood also owns Hideaway Santa Barbara and Blue Sands Inn.
The Ballard Inn has “15 luxurious rooms featuring balconies, patios and fireplaces,” according to a news release.
The company plans to expand the room count to 19.
“In keeping with Kirkwood Collection’s high standards, guests will enjoy a champagne reception upon arrival, a daily wine and cheese happy hour, and the signature Kirkwood breakfast the brand is renowned for,” the news release states.
The Oyster Bar Opens on Stearns Wharf
Moby Dick Restaurant on Stearns Wharf has opened The Oyster Bar.
“The Oyster Bar will offer a selection of ceviches, tartares and shellfish, all sourced locally and sustainably,” a news release from Downtown Santa Barbara states. ” The Oyster Bar will also feature a craft cocktail menu, a selection of Central Coast wines, and local draft beers. The bar aims to become a hot spot for the local Santa Barbara clientele, with a focus on incredible hospitality and service.”
The Oyster Bar will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.