A decade after it started slinging doughnuts out of a converted Westport dry-cleaning shop, Donutology is opening a new location inside Crown Center, taking over a retail space that most recently housed Einstein Bros Bagels. The Kansas City doughnut brand plans to soft open at 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 121, in late September, with a bigger celebration to follow.
The move brings Donutology's interactive, made-to-order doughnut concept to one of Kansas City's busiest commercial complexes, according to The Kansas City Star. Founder and owner Andrew Cameron said Crown Center is the perfect location for the brand, and that Donutology should be a fun, creative and memorable experience, per the same report. Cameron had previously promised exciting things would come in the fall, and this is apparently one of them.
Crown Center itself is no small stage. The 85-acre complex, established in 1971 by Hallmark Cards founder Joyce C. Hall and his son Donald J. Hall, draws more than 5 million visitors a year and includes nearly 300,000 square feet of leasable retail space, according to Crown Center Redevelopment Corp. The complex was originally built to eliminate urban blight surrounding Hallmark's headquarters, and it has since become a magnet for food concepts looking for heavy foot traffic.
From a Repurposed Dry Cleaner to a Regional Complex
Donutology opened its first location in 2016 at 1009 Westport Road, a building that started life in 1944 as Tower Cleaners before Kansas City-based WSKF Architects redesigned the interior and custom seating. That flagship still serves mini doughnuts in flavors including peach cobbler, Twix, death by chocolate and astronaut ice cream, per the Star's reporting.
The brand also ran a satellite spot inside a restored 1940s Country Club streetcar at 426 Delaware St. in the River Market, but the station's report notes Donutology spent less than two years there before closing that trolley location. The vintage streetcar, once on display at Union Station and moved to Delaware Street by developer Craig Slawson, previously operated as a Made in KC cafe, according to Flatland KC. Car No. 551 now operates in that spot, offering grab-and-go barbecue, sandwiches and treats.
Doughnuts, Dirty Sodas and a Milkshake Comeback
At Crown Center, Donutology will feature its familiar made-to-order doughnuts alongside a retro design, plus a newer addition to the lineup: dirty sodas. The trend, which combines soft drinks with flavored syrups, fruit purées and creamer, originated in Utah in 2010 and has since expanded across the metro through drive-thru chains like Swig, per the Johnson County Post. The non-alcoholic drinks have caught on with customers looking for a customizable, booze-free treat.
Donutology is also bringing back its doughnut milkshake, a nod to its roots as a seasonal winter menu item built on local dairy soft serve. The chain has long leaned on regional suppliers, including doughnut flour milled in Arkansas City, Kansas, coffee from KC-based The Roasterie, and soft serve from Belfonte Ice Cream, according to Paperblog.
The Crown Center opening also lines up with Donutology's 10th anniversary. The company plans to hold a joint anniversary and grand-opening celebration in mid-October, giving Kansas City two reasons to show up.
Filling a Spot Tim Hortons Walked Away From
Donutology isn't the only chain that has eyed the Crown Center food scene lately. Tim Hortons had planned to open at the Crown Center location but did not follow through, according to the Star. The Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain also closed its Blue Springs location at 1900 Missouri Route 7 in March 2026, less than a year after opening it in June 2025. Tim Hortons said it was seeking a new franchise partner after that closure and maintained that it remains committed to the Kansas City market, per the same report.
Donutology's expansion also arrives as Crown Center undergoes a much bigger transformation. Kansas City's council approved an 11-2 framework in August to rezone roughly 68 acres around Crown Center for a $3 billion sports and entertainment district anchored by a proposed $1.9 billion downtown ballpark for the Royals, according to Bond Buyer. The deal includes a 30-year lease with the Royals and $600 million in city bonding and infrastructure funds. Hoodline has previously covered the Royals' Crown Center push and the ongoing state-level fight over stadium financing.
Access to the area has also gotten easier. The KC Streetcar's $352 million Main Street Extension opened in October 2025, extending free transit 3.5 miles south to UMKC and linking Crown Center directly to Midtown, Westport and the Plaza, according to the KC Streetcar Authority. That expansion pushed the streetcar network to nearly six miles, from River Market to UMKC, giving Donutology's new neighbors — and its Westport regulars — a free way to reach the new shop.
Donutology has built its identity on offbeat marketing over the years, including a 2016 stunt in which it launched a doughnut nearly 100,000 feet into the stratosphere on a weather balloon from Marceline, Missouri — Walt Disney's childhood hometown — before retrieving and displaying the preserved “Space Donut” in its storefront, per The Sentinel. Before founding Donutology, Cameron ran a network of Daylight Donuts franchises, managing up to eight shops across Kansas and Missouri before selling that business to launch his own interactive concept, according to Spoon University. For now, the focus is on filling the Crown Center space with warm mini doughnuts and dirty sodas before the October celebration.
