Cafe Babette Announces Permanent Closure

cover image by Lauren Primer

Cafe Babette owners announced Sunday, April 12th that they will be closing their Indianapolis bakery permanently in two weeks ahead of an international move to Spain. In an announcement via their email subscriber list and their instagram profile, owners said they plan to honor any outstanding gift card balances for the next two weeks alongside regular pre-orders and queued customers. 

Shortly after the announcement, Cafe Babette’s official account posted that their pre-order website had flooded with purchases, and they are now looking to walk-up only orders ahead of their second to last weekend.

This announcement seems unprecedented with weekly sellouts and long lines to grab one of their pastries. Owners Cheyenne and Ryan Norris said in their statement, “As entrepreneurs, we’ve spent 15 years in hustle mode, always pushing for the next step, the next goal, the next level of security. And while we’re proud of what we built, we’ve come to understand that the cost of that pace is time, time with our kids, time with each other, and time just living.”

The owners also mentioned that the business is on track to gross 1 million in sales this year, and they are open to a quick sale for any interested parties. If no new owner steps up to the plate, the current owners are also looking at posting recipes to Substack. Owner Cheyenne Norris also mentioned she’ll be open to remote creative consulting opportunities moving forward. 

The owners also said this move was in part sparked by the election of Donald Trump for a second term. According to the Wall Street Journal, Americans are leaving the U.S. in favor of foreign shores, and 2025 saw a net negative migration of over 150,000 people. The sentiments expressed by Cafe Babette’s owners have been echoed many times over by US citizens looking to emigrate — the appeal of walkable cities, lower rates of gun violence, and affordable healthcare.

“Something washed over me…I realized I would actually have to leave my own country for my children to have a better life. That realization changed everything.”

Cafe Babette’s final day of service under their current ownership will be Saturday, April 25th. The full statement can be found on their social channels.