Lee's Donuts: A Vancouver Legacy Reimagined by Allan & Celine Bacani

VOICE 177

Allan and Celine Bacani, Owners of Lee’s Donuts

Photography - HIRO Interview - MINA

"Lee’s Donuts is a family brand for everyone."

Donuts are one of life’s simple joys - soft, sweet, and tied to countless warm memories, whether from childhood or a cozy afternoon pick-me-up. For Allan and Celine, the couple behind the intensive growth of Lee’s Donuts, those memories run deep.

Both born and raised in the Vancouver area to entrepreneurial Filipino immigrant families, running a business was in their blood. Allan grew up working at his father’s butcher shop, Armando's Finest Quality Meats, in Granville Island Public Market. Celine, meanwhile, discovered her business instincts as a teenager managing her neighbourhood Dairy Queen, later launching a successful real estate career. Their shared roots in family-run businesses as well as in music and the arts laid the foundation for their most meaningful venture yet: guiding Lee’s Donuts into a new era.

When the beloved donut shop at Granville Island came up for sale in 2017, the couple saw more than just a business opportunity. It was a chance to preserve a local institution that had been part of the community since 1979. They made it their mission to protect the legacy: keeping the same classic recipes, working with long-standing suppliers, and maintaining the nostalgic, welcoming atmosphere that so many Vancouverites grew up with. But they also knew Lee’s had potential to become something even greater. With a fresh vision and a hands-on approach, Allan and Celine brought in modern touches that introduced Lee’s to a whole new generation. Their playful mascot, Johnny Glaze, and donut-of-the-month creations (and yes, there’s even a limited ube flavour!) are just some of the ways their creative background shines through.

During the pandemic, instead of shutting down, Allan and Celine brought their team together to bake donuts for frontline workers, launching the “High Five for the Front Line” campaign. It was a heartfelt gesture that captured people's attention and reaffirmed their place in the community. This time, not as a tourist stop, but as a local comfort. Since then, Lee’s has grown thoughtfully, expanding into Langley, Richmond, a neighbourhood shop in Lonsdale, and most recently, a location in Burnaby’s Amazing Brentwood Shopping Centre!

Lee’s Donuts is a big transformation done right, but it has always been a symbol of comfort, creativity, and connection. With every handmade donut, they’re passing on a piece of the past while building something lasting for the future. 'It was here before us, and it will be here after us,' they say. And boy, did they say “fun” many times during the interview! Thanks to their care and playful spirit, that magic continues to live on - one donut, one smile at a time.

VOICE: How did you venture into the donut business?

Allan (A): In 2017, I was browsing online and came across a listing for a Granville Island bakery for sale. There are only three bakeries on the island, so based on the images and description, I immediately knew it was Lee’s. I contacted my landlord to ask about foot traffic on Johnson Street, where the shop is located. He came back with the number, and it was about 6. 8 million visitors the previous year! There were multiple offers for the business. I worked on the business plan while Celine, as a real estate agent, worked on negotiating the deal. We had known the owner, Betty-Ann Lee, since childhood, but we wanted to be fair and compete like everyone else. Maybe growing up in the Granville Island community helped, but the owner graciously read our story and awarded the business to us in November of that year.

VOICE: What were your childhood memories of Lee’s Donuts?

A: When we were working at my dad’s butcher shop, someone would always grab fritters from the donut shop, and we’d eat them together. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up—always good, always consistent.

Celine (C): Everyone growing up in Vancouver has some memory of Lee’s Donuts. That doesn’t just happen. It’s really special. I remember when I was helping out at Allan’s dad’s store, we’d take tips from the jar and use them to buy donuts.

VOICE: What was your vision for transforming this 40-year-old legacy under your ownership?

A: We assured the previous owner we didn’t want to change anything; we just wanted to do more of it. We were committed to protecting what she had started. But once we got into it, we realized this wasn’t just a donut business, it was also a branding business. That’s what got Celine and me really excited. We saw all kinds of opportunities that weren’t being tapped into, like digital marketing, merchandise, and speciality coffee, and we had a very clear vision of what we wanted to do. We built a website and grew the Instagram following from scratch. When we took over, the shop didn’t even accept credit cards. It was cash only.

Growing up in a small business, my dad always emphasized efficiency; minimal movement, maximum output. So for the first two years, we focused on operational execution. Once that was locked in, we turned our focus to marketing and community building.

C: Our first goal was definitely to protect the legacy. But we also knew we needed to improve some systems right away to streamline operations. Before us, they sold donuts, muffins, crêpes, and a bunch of drinks. We simplified the menu - just donuts and one coffee from Home Island Coffee, founded by one of the Matchstick Coffee guys.

We were younger and less experienced than the previous owners, so we also had to earn the trust of the existing team. We took time to make everyone feel comfortable and assured, but it was really important to us.

VOICE: When do you think was the breakthrough moment for this new era of Lee’s?

C: We invested everything into renovating the shop and updating the equipment. That was February 2020—and we got the keys to the new shop just two weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown! Can you imagine? Everything was so uncertain. A few staff members still wanted to come in, just to keep morale up. So we turned on the new machines, made some donuts, and at the end of the day, boxed them up and delivered them to hospitals. We couldn’t sell them, but we didn’t want them to go to waste. It was a small way to help, and that turned into the “High Five for the Front Line” campaign. The community started donating whatever they could so we could keep baking and cover ingredient costs. Every day we delivered donuts to different hospitals, Covenant House, the Downtown Eastside… it kept us going.

When we were finally allowed to open, locals -not tourists- were lining up down the block! I still get emotional thinking about it. Some people were discovering us for the first time. That’s when Allan and I knew this had grown beyond Granville Island.

A: In 2021, we tested our first expansion outside of Granville Island—a pop-up trailer at Willbrook Shopping Centre in Langley. Lineups again! One big push for our brand came from being featured in the first episode of Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner on Netflix with David Chang and Seth Rogen. That helped introduce us to communities we hadn’t even reached yet.

When we realized the business could be duplicated, we also realized the brand was bigger than us. It wouldn’t be fair to limit it. We see ourselves as stewards of the brand while we’re here, but we know for sure that Lee’s will outlive us.

VOICE: Did you expect this kind of growth when you first took over?

C: Honestly, we just hoped to break even and not lose the house! But now we’re not just making donuts. We’re building a business, creating careers, developing teams, and doing it all in our own creative way.

VOICE: How did your father respond when you decided to be a donut owner instead of a butcher?

A: My father knows that I have an entrepreneurial spirit too, and he always encouraged me to go for it when I found my thing. He’s been very supportive. Both of our parents are Filipino immigrants, and the opportunity to grow a nationwide brand in Canada was unimaginable. They never expected that, actually. When they realized it was a real opportunity for us, how could they say no?

VOICE: What makes your donuts special?

A: The obvious answer is we’ve been around since 1979. We haven’t changed the recipe. It’s a classic donut—something that feels familiar whether you’re 9 or 90 years old. It’s everyone’s donut. And we’ve built a brand with real character—with some help from Johnny Glaze! We’re not just a name.

C: Two of our biggest pillars are fun and community. We want the brand to feel joyful, and we try to reflect that in our team culture, too. Allan and I have deep roots in the arts, and we know what it means to rally a community. It’s one of our responsibilities to support those spaces—through dance events, entrepreneur panels, and things like our Granville Island Block Party last year, with local bands and businesses.

Our bakers care about what they do. Something we always say to our team is: “We don’t expect you to be a donut baker for life. But whether you’re here for 5 minutes, 5 weeks, or 5 years—care while you’re here.” That level of care shows in the product, and people can feel it.