Sunrise Donut Café

Sunrise Donut Café Fun and welcoming donut café with customizable donuts, exceptional coffee, and delectable brunch!

Before we can say hello to the new, it’s time to say goodbye to the old. Thank you to the team at Paul Davis Restoration...
06/13/2026

Before we can say hello to the new, it’s time to say goodbye to the old. Thank you to the team at Paul Davis Restoration for doing the dirty work.

Well, the smell is more like a soggy campfire today, but friends are still near and it is a good day.We would like to ta...
06/04/2026

Well, the smell is more like a soggy campfire today, but friends are still near and it is a good day.

We would like to take this moment to publicly thank all those who have rallied around us and our neighbors to support us over these last couple weeks. We are truly humbled by all of the solidarity and generosity you have directed our way.

You have stood beside us in the shock, mourned with us in the loss, helped us onto our feet, and encouraged us in the recovery. To all of our Sunrise community, in Monroe and beyond, a very heartfelt THANK YOU. ❤️

And to all of the volunteers and first responders who put your own lives at risk to save our buildings, a pet, human lives, and our downtown, words simply do not suffice. 🙏

A special shout out to:
The Artful Gourmet
Busy Bee Floral
Leisure Lanes Monroe
Devon’s Friendly Inn Bar& Grill
Delivery Drive
Main Street Monroe, Inc.
Heartland Graphics
And SO MANY other businesses and individuals that we can’t possibly list you all here!

The post-fire cleanup is officially underway. This is just a LITTLE bit different from what we had planned for the summe...
05/28/2026

The post-fire cleanup is officially underway. This is just a LITTLE bit different from what we had planned for the summer. We’re doing our best to focus on the positives through it all.

One of those positives is that we are going to be able to save more than we were previously told - including our original 1859 ceiling. Our remediation team was able to rig up a system to dry the wood from above, allowing us to retain the most historic feature in the building. 🙌

Along with that, some of the walls on the first floor can also stay in place. As for the floors, well… they have to completely go, all of the 150+ years of layers. So everything on them has to be moved out. But there’s a silver lining there too as we’ll get to replace our 70’s-style vinyl tile with a brand new floor.

Challenging circumstances, for sure. But there are so many positives to get us through!

So many people have asked how they can help us and Bartels in the wake of the fire incident. It has been a challenge for...
05/23/2026

So many people have asked how they can help us and Bartels in the wake of the fire incident. It has been a challenge for us find something to point people to that is actually helpful while also realistic and approachable.

Heartland Graphics has now provided just that. One of the best ways to support us right now is to check out this store and buy a shirt! Proceeds from these shirts will go toward shoring up our resources as we dive into the cleanup and rebuild process and will benefit Bartels & Co Tap just as much as us. The store is up now and will close on June 14th.

A big thank you to , , everyone who helped come up with and execute this idea, and everyone who is supporting us through this. What a wonderful community we have around us. ❤️

https://monroe-strong-26.spiritsale.com/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAR-di5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeE3hrx8ZkuNQNiDuPcVfmaDobLiy-vIl4u7pOqXt6uiMKgRviUbQKCk5OlTA_aem_YWdncwCCLIupmXrNWHz1GwG2p6Hq&brid=YWdncwGIr8DSPvfwp5Md6ZcQgl9i

Ok, time for a little comic relief…Our new drink of the week: Marshmallow Hosewater!Too soon? Hey, we all need something...
05/22/2026

Ok, time for a little comic relief…

Our new drink of the week: Marshmallow Hosewater!

Too soon? Hey, we all need something to laugh about sometimes!

Edit: No, we didn’t make this! We found our cup of marshmallows this way after the fire.

Sigh… this update is a heavy one.“Oh! This isn’t that bad!” we all said when we first stepped back into the café.Then we...
05/19/2026

Sigh… this update is a heavy one.

“Oh! This isn’t that bad!” we all said when we first stepped back into the café.

Then we saw the ceiling sagging from the lake still sitting on it. Then the softened floors. Then the smell. And the soot. And then we went upstairs. Oof.

We were informed today that most likely the entire building must be stripped down to studs, top to bottom. Everything. There is just no recovering from that amount of water. I guess we’ll see how that develops, but at this point, that gut punch is the expectation.

So… 😞

We’d like to see this building returned to its former glory. But bear with us, team. This is going to be a long road.

Watching this event unfold, we thought for sure our entire kitchen was toast. Immediately to the left of this blaze is w...
05/16/2026

Watching this event unfold, we thought for sure our entire kitchen was toast. Immediately to the left of this blaze is where our gas lines and fryers sit.

What we knew beyond a doubt was that the fire went all the way up - and quickly. Directly behind that door that you see engulfed in flames is a hallway and a stairwell leading up to all the apartments. It’s built like a chimney and that’s exactly how it acted.

Now that we have been able to see inside, we are completely blown away to discover that virtually no fire entered the cafe space at all. Lots and lots of smoke and water. Imagine an entire swimming pool being dumped on a restaurant-sized smoker. But no actual fire. Our kitchen fire suppression system was triggered properly and a brick wall and closed doors saved us from what could have been much worse.

Bartels and the upstairs residences weren’t as fortunate. The path to rebuilding will be a long one for everyone. And we don’t know yet how bad everything really is above the ceilings and behind the walls. For now, we’re just so so thankful that no people were hurt and that all of the brave first responders kept this from spreading further than it did!

First photo credit to: GreenCounty.TV

Today we begin to assess. Some areas are better than expected. Some are as bad as expected. Some pets were lost, one was...
05/15/2026

Today we begin to assess. Some areas are better than expected. Some are as bad as expected. Some pets were lost, one was saved. Many have volunteered to help before we even know what we need. It’s a mix of emotions for all of us today. It simply is surreal for us to see all that we so lovingly built just totally undone. But all is not lost. The sun will rise again tomorrow.

In the meantime, please do not attempt to enter our building, especially the residential floors, without proper authorization. Some areas are accessible, but others are very unsafe at the moment. Thank you!

To our community, both in Monroe and beyond, thank you for your prayers and kindness today. And to all of the first resp...
05/15/2026

To our community, both in Monroe and beyond, thank you for your prayers and kindness today. And to all of the first responders on site, we are so grateful for you.

Many of you will want to know how we’re all doing and what the future holds. Right now, we’re still coming out of shock and it’s too soon to say on both fronts. Tomorrow begins the actual survey of the damage. We’ll take it one step at a time from there. Thankfully, we can say that everyone is physically safe.

Due to a surprise staff shortage today, we closed up shop mid-morning - something we almost never do - with plans to re-open around noon. Because of this, nobody was in our building and in danger when the fire started. Even in times of crisis, we will celebrate providential touches like that one.

Our hearts go out to our friends Jim and Rhonda Bartels in this difficult time and also to Michelle, John, and Mike, who have each been displaced from their homes. Please join us in sending your thoughts and prayers for each of them as well as we all try to figure out what to do next.

Community has always been our first core value at Sunrise. We got to see that community in action today, when it really mattered. Thank you all for your support.

Due to a fire outbreak throughout the building, Sunrise Donut Café will be closed until further notice. Everyone is safe...
05/14/2026

Due to a fire outbreak throughout the building, Sunrise Donut Café will be closed until further notice. Everyone is safe. Stay tuned for more updates. Please keep us in your prayers.

Address

1014 17th Avenue
Monroe, WI
53566

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 3pm
Tuesday 7am - 3pm
Wednesday 7am - 3pm
Thursday 7am - 3pm
Friday 7am - 3pm
Saturday 7am - 3pm

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