Fat + Flour closing Grand Central Market

Nicole Rucker said on May 18 that Fat + Flour will close its stall at Grand Central Market this month, ending the bakery’s run inside the downtown Los Angeles food hall while leaving its Culver City shop in place. Eater LA reported the stall’s final day is Sunday, May 24, and said Rucker chose not to renew the lease. Fat + Flour first opened at Grand Central Market in 2019 and later expanded west with a larger standalone bakery and cafe in Culver City. As of May 19, Fat + Flour’s website and Grand Central Market’s vendor pages still listed the downtown location alongside the Culver City shop. ### When exactly is the Grand Central Market stall closing? Eater LA reported on May 19 that Fat + Flour’s Grand Central Market location will close permanently on Sunday, May 24. The outlet said Rucker confirmed the lease is ending and that she decided not to renew it. May 18 is the date Rucker used to announce the closure in a public notice referenced by Eater. (la.eater.com) That timeline places the announcement less than a week before the final service day. ### How long has Fat + Flour been at Grand Central Market? Fat + Flour opened at Grand Central Market in 2019, according to the bakery’s prior coverage and its own company materials. (la.eater.com) Eater’s earlier reporting on the Culver City expansion said the business first debuted as a stall at the historic downtown market that year. Grand Central Market’s vendor page still describes Fat + Flour as “a tiny pie and cookie shop” from Rucker. Edible LA, in a 2022 profile published with Grand Central Market, also said Rucker landed at the market in 2019. ### Why is Nicole Rucker shutting this location instead of the whole business? Nicole Rucker told Eater that the Grand Central Market lease is ending and that she chose not to renew it. (losangelesnews.town.news) The report said she will continue operating the larger standalone Fat + Flour location in Culver City. (grandcentralmarket.com) Culver City has become the company’s other major base since that shop opened in late 2023. Eater’s December 2023 report said the expansion added savory dishes, coffee and indoor seating for about 50 people, making it a broader-format business than the market stall. ### What stays open after the downtown closure? (newsbreak.com) Fat + Flour’s Culver City bakery remains open at 11739 W. Washington Blvd., according to the company’s website. The site lists Culver City hours from Wednesday through Sunday and, as of its most recent crawl, still included the Grand Central Market address as well. Fat + Flour’s “about” page also says the bakery operates in both Grand Central Market and Culver City, a sign that the company’s web listings had not yet fully reflected the announced closure. (la.eater.com) Grand Central Market’s own vendor directory still included the stall on May 19. ### What does this change at Grand Central Market? Grand Central Market’s current vendor materials identify Fat + Flour as one of the market’s bakery operators. (fatandflourla.com) Eater said Fat + Flour and Bastion were the only other bakeries in the 109-year-old bazaar. Downtown Los Angeles loses one of Nicole Rucker’s best-known retail counters with the closure, while the company keeps its Westside shop. (fatandflourla.com) Eater said the final downtown service is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, and the Culver City location will remain the continuing storefront for the business. (la.eater.com)