TIME Magazine called it "The Death of the Appetizer." The Wall Street Journal called it "audacious." Her mother called it "finally, some common sense."

Amy Wittenauer spent 15 years in the restaurant industry watching people lie to themselves. She watched them order salads they didn't want. She watched them pretend to read wine lists. She watched them say "I'll just have a bite of yours" and then eat the whole dessert.

One evening in 2024, while holding a glass of Cabernet in one hand and a slice of chocolate cake in the other, Amy had what she now calls "The Revelation."

"I looked down at what I was holding and thought: this is it. This is what everyone actually wants. Why are we all pretending otherwise?"

Six months later, Donuts Cake & Wine opened its doors. The menu was three items. The wait time for a table was three hours. Sugar futures rose 4% on opening day.

Today, Amy continues her quest to eliminate the fluff from dining — one breadbasket at a time. She has been profiled in TIME Magazine, banned from two restaurant industry conferences, and nominated for a Nobel Prize in Economics (pending verification).

She remains committed to her founding principle: life is too short for appetizers.