Rochester's mochi donut shop is closing for good. Mochinut, tucked into the Broadway Corner Plaza in South Rochester, announced it will shut its doors on September 30, ending a two-year run selling Japanese mochi donuts, Korean hot dogs, and boba tea to local customers.
“Rochester — after two years, we're closing our doors on September 30,” the shop's owners said in their announcement, as reported by 106.9 KROC. The owners expressed gratitude to the Rochester community and thanked the customers who supported the business, inviting them to stop by one more time before the shop closes. Mochinut will remain open through its regular business hours until September 30.
A Storefront With a Revolving Door
The Rochester location opened in January 2024 at 102 20th St SE, Suite 600, inside the Broadway Corner Plaza, according to 106.9 KROC's earlier coverage of the opening. That opening generated immediate local interest.
The space Mochinut occupied wasn't new to restaurant turnover. It previously housed Nashville Coop, a hot chicken restaurant co-owned by former Minnesota Vikings player Marcus Sherels. Mochinut moved into that vacant endcap unit just a few months later. The 7,626-square-foot strip center housing the address was listed for sale in June 2026 for $2 million.
Part of a Rougher Year for Rochester Restaurants
Mochinut's closure lands amid a broader wave of Rochester restaurant shutdowns in 2026. KAAL ABC 6 News described several closures as part of a wider economic trend hitting independent food businesses across the city. Several owners who closed shops this year pointed to high overhead and shifting consumer dining habits.
That local pressure mirrors a statewide picture. Minnesota's restaurant industry is “stressed and on the brink” due to rising wholesale food prices, equipment costs, and labor expenses, according to the 2026 State of Hospitality report from Hospitality Minnesota, as covered by FOX 9 Minneapolis. Industry leaders have asked state lawmakers for financial relief, including swipe-fee reforms, to ease the strain on restaurant margins.
A National Chain With Local Roots Elsewhere
Mochinut is a national franchise chain founded on March 13, 2020, in Cerritos, California, by CEO Jaewook Ha, growing to 148 locations nationwide by 2023 along with outposts in South Korea and Thailand, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. The cited background does not provide franchise investment, fee, or royalty figures.
The chain's signature product, the mochi donut, is distinguished by its bouncy, chewy texture and eight-ball ring shape made with glutinous rice flour, according to the University Star. Rochester's shop had served rotating donut flavors alongside its boba drinks and Korean hot dogs since opening.
The closure reports do not address every international food concept in Rochester, however. Whether a new tenant will take over Mochinut's South Broadway storefront, or how the strip center's recent sale listing might affect future leasing there, remains to be seen. The property is listed for sale, but no future tenant or leasing outcome is reported.
