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Apparently people on State Street like donuts.
In fewer than 90 minutes Wednesday morning, Hook & Press Donuts sold more than 300 donuts to hungry customers. The shop is part of The Mosaic, an innovative shared space that is also home to Draughtsmen Aleworks, Buena Onda Empanadas and Juice Ranch.
Mosaic had a soft opening this week and Hook & Press kicked it off at 8 a.m. with their specialized donuts. The second day had the same result, and they were sold out by 9:22 a.m.
“We’re selling out so fast,” said Denisse Salinas, a chef, whose husband John Burnett owns the company.
“We’re pleasantly surprised. Now we have to figure out how to make more,” she said.
“We couldn’t have asked for more of a following or excitement from the local community,” Burnett said.
The success, however, has him wondering about one thing: “How do we get more donuts into the hands of Santa Barbarans?” he said.
The Mosaic was launched in a partnership with Impact Hub Santa Barbara and the property manager, SIMA. The shared space allows multiple businesses to enjoy a lowered rent by only using the facility for part of the day.
It’s one of the ideas that downtown businesses are trying out to help infuse new energy into the downtown area, as the city has struggled with storefront vacancies in the commmercial core.
Goleta hot pot restaurant opens
UniBoil has opened in Goleta, at the former site of the XO Cafe and the short-lived Worker Bee Cafe.
Owner Sophie Xu said she chose the site at 5599 Hollister Ave. for one reason: “There are plenty of parking spots and it is close to Isla Vista.”
The style of food is Asian fusion, said Xu, an undergraduate student from China who started the business with several partners. She also owns the Milk and Tea restaurant next door.
Amazon visits South Coast
Amazon reportedly booked the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort for four nights last week and sources told Noozhawk that the company brought in the Dave Matthews Band for a private concert at the Coral Casino.
Amazon also booked the Lark for a private event in the Funk Zone, even installing temporary walls outside the restaurant’s perimeter to block people from looking in. The Santa Barbara Municipal Airport was also home to about 20 private jets while Amazon was in town.
The company comes to Montecito and Santa Barbara every year, and has recently leased the Saks Fifth Avenue building on State Street for offices for engineers and a first floor retail component.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.