On Feb. 7, 2021, Zombee Donuts & Bakeshop celebrated its sixth year anniversary and welcomed the community with open arms. The bakery is located at 802 E Chapman Avenue and has been around since 2015.
The small Latina-owned business is run by mother and daughter, Vanessa Guillen and Marie Theodore Guillen. They were both huge fans of The Walking Dead and wanted to bring something different for the city of Fullerton.
Many dedicated customers were coming in to personally congratulate the two on Sunday morning.
The bakery offered one free donut per person while supplies lasted, as a thank you to those who were able to come and celebrate. They also celebrated with free donut stickers and had giveaways whenever someone bought a dozen.
This past year was a little different for the Guillens because of the current pandemic. The event was regulated to follow the CDC guidelines to adapt to this. Unlike the 2020 celebration, Zombee was not able to have their dining room set up, have face paintings for kids or have a photo booth. Face masks were required and social distancing was to be followed by everyone, as it is any other business day.
“The first eight weeks (of the pandemic) were really rough, but after those eight weeks, we started getting our customers back. They knew that we were taking every precaution that we could and closed our dining room right away,” Marie Guillen said.
The Guillens always knew that Fullerton was the location that they wanted their shop to be in. It was the perfect location for a small business, especially because the Guillens strived to be college and local community-friendly.
“I like how Fullerton is a college town, but also feels like a small town,” Vanessa Guillen said.
For the past six years, Vanessa and Marie Guillen have learned a lot about their customers. They thought that it would only be the college students’ attention that they would grab at the time they opened their business, and while that was partially true, they explained more about the community.
“It’s more about the families of Fullerton,” Marie Guillen said. “It’s the relationship with the families that are just as important as the students,” she added.
Lots of loyal customers came after hearing about the event from Zombee Donuts’ social media platform. These unique and spooky-themed donuts get many customers out of their bed, even on a cold Sunday morning. From vegan donuts to their best-selling maple bacon donut, they cater to every person’s choice of menu.
“You got to wake up early for fresh donuts. It’s the best,” said Kailani Cotton, a local and loyal customer of Zombee Donuts.
“I’m a night owl so now I have to set my alarm to get the donuts fresh,” another local customer said.
The eccentric, yet delicious donuts may be what makes Zombee stand out amongst other bakeries, but the special connection between the owners and their employees is what makes their customers come back.
The celebration of their six year anniversary ended at noon. Their official store hours are 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information on the bakery, visit Zombee’s Instagram page.