From a rainy Seattle apartment to Old Town Scottsdale, Alex McEntire built Chin Up Donuts one brioche at a time.
Before the pink boxes and weekend lines in Old Town, before Scottsdale knew the name, there was a one-bedroom apartment in Seattle and a corporate job that looked, from the outside, like success. Alex McEntire was working at Amazon when she began searching for something that felt lighter. “I started baking donuts as a sunny hobby,” she recalls. “It rained so much in Seattle, and I just needed something that felt bright.”
What began as a creative outlet quickly became an obsession. “I became obsessed with perfecting the brioche donut recipe — a delicious cross between a rich, buttery bread and a pastry,” she says. The goal wasn’t to make just another donut. It was to elevate it.
Once she perfected the base, her imagination took over. “If I enjoyed a flavor in another food, I’d think about how I could turn it into a donut,” McEntire explains. That curiosity led to bold creations like the Everything Bagel donut and inventive collaborations, including a brisket-topped special with Little Miss BBQ. She tested flavors at pop-ups and farmers’ markets across the Pacific Northwest, frying dough in a kitchen barely big enough to hold her equipment. “The response was overwhelming,” she says. “That’s when I started thinking, maybe this could actually be something.”
In 2019, after an organizational shake-up at Amazon, she made the leap. “I had this moment where I thought, if not now, when?” McEntire says. She moved back to Arizona and committed to building what would become Chin Up Donuts full time.
But the leap wasn’t impulsive. “I had open-book conversations with five or six different shops to understand the financial side,” she explains. “I wanted to know the real numbers — production costs, labor, margins. I needed to know it could work.”
Armed with a business plan, she opened her first storefront in North Scottsdale in November 2020 — in the middle of the pandemic. “It definitely wasn’t the timing anyone would choose,” she says. “But we got scrappy.”
When foot traffic slowed, Chin Up pivoted. “We started doing custom donut letter boxes that spelled out phrases like ‘Keep Your Chin Up,’” McEntire says. “It was our way of spreading positivity when people really needed it.” She also collaborated with other local businesses on gift boxes, reinforcing the brand’s role in the community.
Momentum carried into a second location in Old Town Scottsdale in late 2021. The brand’s playful retro interiors, inventive flavors, and optimism quickly became part of the neighborhood’s rhythm. Local recognition followed, including praise from the Phoenix New Times, cementing Chin Up’s place in the Valley’s food scene.
At one point, Chin Up operated multiple Valley locations and seemed poised for rapid expansion. But growth brought lessons. Rising operational costs and shifting retail conditions led to a difficult decision: “Expansion sounds exciting,” McEntire reflects. “But if the infrastructure isn’t strong, it can stretch you too thin.” The brand consolidated operations to focus on the Old Town Scottsdale location, strengthening systems while preserving the quality and experience customers expect.
Over the past several years, McEntire’s focus has shifted from rapid growth to sustainability. “My biggest priority has been building the infrastructure and team to expand thoughtfully while staying true to our roots of creativity and positivity,” she says. She refined production processes, trained staff, and protected the integrity of the brioche recipe that began in a tiny Seattle kitchen.
Today, Chin Up Donuts continues to rotate seasonal flavors and specials while maintaining its mission: creating spaces rooted in whimsy, nostalgia, and optimism — where donuts feel less like a transaction and more like a moment. The Everything Bagel donut remains McEntire’s favorite, and the brisket collaboration with Little Miss BBQ still stands as one of the brand’s boldest expressions. If she could share her creations with anyone, she says, it would be Christina Tosi or Charles Barkley.
But the real audience has always been local. Families picking up a Saturday morning box. Offices celebrating small wins. Friends showing up with donuts instead of flowers.
Nearly six years after opening her first brick-and-mortar shop, McEntire measures success differently. It’s not simply about the number of locations. It’s about maintaining creativity without compromising quality. It’s about building a team strong enough to carry the vision forward. It’s about choosing sustainability over speed.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs remains consistent: “Do your research, talk to as many people as possible in your industry, understand your finances — and don’t wait for the ‘perfect’ time to start. You have to go for it.”
Because perfect timing rarely exists. Sometimes, you build the thing anyway. And you keep your chin up while you do.
Craving a Bite of Optimism?
Visit Chin Up Donuts in Old Town Scottsdale and experience the brioche creations for yourself.
- 7021 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
- www.chinupdonuts.com
