Dank Bowl Kitchen will officially close on Thursday, March 21, and will be replaced by Yetz’s Bagels, under the same owner. The closure marks an end to 11 years of Dank Bowl Kitchen’s macaroni-filled bread bowls and other “munchies” emblematic of its pro-cannabis ethos.

Dank Bowls will close on March 21, and the pop-up Yetz’s Bagels will take over, operated under the same owner. Maddy Fangio / Daily Nexus

Yetz’s Bagels opened in February as an experimental pop-up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Dank Bowl Kitchen on Embarcadero del Mar, which would switch back to its original menu at 3 p.m.

The fully-realized Yetz’s Bagels, operated by UC Santa Barbara alum and Dank Bowl Kitchen founder Daniel Dunietz, will be inspired by the Dank Bowl Kitchen selections and include more additions, like stuffed “bagel bombs.” 

“Instead of sourdough bowls that we’re buying from a bakery that I can’t really afford to sell to people, we’re going to be making it from scratch, doing it on bagels and making bagel sandwiches that are honestly, in my opinion, going to be a lot better,” Dunietz said. 

Yetz’s Bagels will be another store in Isla Vista with a bagel-focused menu, second to I.V. Bagel Cafe. Dunietz believes his store brings the only true New York-style bagel to Isla Vista. 

Dunietz decided to close Dank Bowl Kitchen because purchase volume tripled in the morning hours, catering requests grew and the bagel business became a wholesale supplier to local stores like Dawn Cafe.

“It’s quicker, it’s easier, it’s more portable, it’s cheaper to make. I can sell it for cheaper. And it’s just a better product to sell,” Dunietz said. 

Dunietz originally intended to open a cannabis-themed bagel shop in 2013 — called “Buddha Bowls” at the time — but there were no bagel suppliers in town. Instead, he contracted with a bakery for the bread bowls. For Yetz’s Bagels, all bread is made in-house.

“I’ve started to sell something that I am making from scratch completely. Every phase, we’re starting with flour and yeast and water,” Dunietz said. “It’s something that connects me to the roots of what brought me to food. It connects me to my ancestors, the Jewish community and from Poland — that’s where I’m from. This is a food that’s been made the same way for centuries.”

Ultimately, Dank Bowl Kitchen was an unsustainable business, Dunietz said. Customers did not frequent the store enough due to its prices, large portions and the “heavy” nature of the bowls. The business also required Dunietz to work 60 to 80 hours work weeks, making the earnings below minimum wage after paying business costs.

“People can afford a $6 breakfast sandwich, but people can’t always afford a $15, $16, $17 bread bowl,” Dunietz said.

Regardless, Dunietz will stay in the food scene at Isla Vista. 

“I think I.V. 100% deserves Yetz’s Bagels. I don’t want to take that away from the I.V. community,” Dunietz said. “Especially with what is coming, the ideas and the new menu that I’ve been working on for the last three or four months. This is some pretty exciting stuff.” 

“I love good bagels. And that’s what I’m doing.”

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Lizzy Rager
Lizzy Rager (she/her) is the Assistant News Editor for the 2024-25 school year. She can be reached at lizzyrager@dailynexus.com