Popular Lexington doughnut shop says it’s closing. Here’s why
A popular local doughnut shop announced on social media it’s closing after a little less than three years in business.
Donut World, at 1395 W. Main St., said in a Facebook post that Sunday, Jan. 25 would be its last day open.
The Lexington doughnut shop, in the Meadowthorpe neighborhood, said two factors lead to the decision to close.
“Changes in building ownership coupled with ongoing construction have created business challenges we cannot overcome,” the social media post said.
Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027 for the nearby Leestown-New Circle Road double-crossover diamond interchange. The project has resulted in heavy traffic in the Leestown-New Circle Road corridor and some road closures. And the nearby Turner Commons has been under development since 2023 with projects like RD1 Distillery opening just this past year.
Donut World’s closing is the second dining spot closure for the Meadowthorpe neighborhood. At the end of December, longtime restaurant Bad Wolf Burgers announced it was closing after more than 15 years.
Donut World was closed twice towards the end of 2025 by the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, but it reopened each time.
It was closed on Nov. 4 and on Dec. 9 for “unauthorized personnel repeatedly observed in restricted-access portions of the facility,” according to the health department and the owner, Lay Ditth. The local doughnut shop had posted a sign next to the red health department closure notice saying, “Health department closed it down because my kid is next to the register.”
Herald-Leader staff writer Janet Patton contributed to this report.
