A Local Tradition: Sunset Donut Shop

Sunset Donuts opens bright and early every day at 4 a.m. It's one of the things that's made it a local favorite.

"We have a lot of regular customers who come here. Some of them come in everyday and some of them I only see once in a while," said Pisey Bou, the owner.  "We not only get customers from surrounding businesses, but people from all over Suisun. I've seen children grow into teenagers then to adults and now see them with their own kids.  It's kind of like I'm friends with the whole town."

It's the only donut shop in Suisun and is located in the Sunset Center. The nearest donut shop is two miles away in Fairfield making Raley's their nearest competitor.  Though located directly across from the supermarket, being the solo donut shop with a prime location combined with quality tasting donuts has given Sunset Donuts the upper hand, Bous said.

Ten-year customer Cynthia Workman works evenings and doesn't start a shift without visiting her favorite donut shop for a hot cup of French Roast coffee. Workman says she stops by the donut shop every day to get her day going and has built a personal relationship with Bou.

"I love the atmosphere and how it's always so clean inside," said Workman. "Plus after coming in for so long the owner and I have become really close friends. "

Bou knows her customers by their first name and can even prepare their order prior to them entering the shop.  Bou said years of helping the same customers makes Sunset Donuts a family type donut shop where everyone can feel safe and at home.

Bou doesn't limit her customers to just donuts and different flavored coffee, but offers fresh baked cookies and muffins, toasted bagels, iced coffee, blended smoothies, Buds Ice Cream, different teas and ham and cheese croissants.  A variety of sodas and juices are also available. Recently, Bou added bread pudding to the menu; a recipe she learned from her husband's friend. Being able to have something for everyone is a good way to keep loyal customers, but also attract new ones, she said.

Regular customer Kiran Kaur visits the donut shop numerous times a week to satisfy her bagel craving. Kaur's family owns the neighboring Smoke Plus smoke shop and hears customers praising Sunset Donuts on a daily basis, said Kaur.

"I heard so much about this place from our customers," Kaur said. "We were new to this center and after hearing so many compliments I decided to check it out. Now I'm here almost every day."

Mondays through Fridays are what Bou calls "normal days" serving approximately 300 customers. Weekends are the busier days and attract close to 600 customers, said Bou.

"When it's 3 p.m. and I have a show case full of donuts means it's not so good a day," said Bou. "Sometimes I get lucky and get customers who need a couple boxes for work, but on a typical day I'm usually stuck with a few dozen."

The 18-year-old shop was previously located in Fairfield before Bou decided to relocate to Suisun, which has been a successful decision, she said. Bou doesn't wish to expand and is very content with the progress of the business. Bou, her husband as well as two other employees currently work at the shop. They are open seven days a week from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the fall and winter seasons, but stay open until 8 p.m. during the summer.

Bou credits much of the shop's success to her customers and it's because of her customers that her long, work-filled days go by so quickly.

"For some people going to work is stressful," said Bou. "Coming here is a stress reliever. I feel at home and I feel safe. I'm very happy with where I'm at."

Sunset Donuts is located at 141 Sunset Ave., Suite C.