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Randy's Donuts

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Randy's Donuts is a bakery and a landmark building in Inglewood, California which is near Los Angeles International Airport. It is built in a style that dates to a period in the early 20th century that saw a proliferation of programmatic architecture throughout Southern California. This style had its heyday from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s. By the 1950s however, the trend of designing structures in the shape of the product sold there had changed to focus on signs rather than architecture itself. Randy's is represented by a giant doughnut on the roof of an otherwise ordinary drive-in that is a dedicated doughnut bakery. The building was designed by Henry J. Goodwin.[1]

Randy's Donuts
Randy's in 2005
Map
General information
TypeRestaurant, doughnut shop, bakery
Architectural styleNovelty architecture
Town or cityInglewood, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates33°57′42″N 118°22′13″W / 33.9618°N 118.3703°W / 33.9618; -118.3703
Opened1953 (1953)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry J. Goodwin
Website
randys-donuts.com

Colossal donut signs atop Randy's stores vary in size. Most locations use a 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m) diameter version that sits atop the building and faces an intersection. In Roadside Giant by Brian and Sarah Butko, the Weintraubs climbed on top of the doughnut with a tape measure and confirmed the measurements for the authors. The Bellflower location, however, features a smaller version of the doughnut on top of a pole in front of the building. This may be 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter, as is widely reported.

The 24-hour drive-in is at 805 West Manchester Boulevard and it intersects with La Cienega Boulevard. It is near the Manchester Boulevard off-ramp of the San Diego Freeway (I-405).

History

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In the late 1940s, doughnut machine salesman Russell Wendell founded a chain of drive-in doughnut shops named Big Donut. The first location opened in 1951 in Westmont. The second location which is now a Randy's Donuts, was opened in 1952.[2][3] Designed by architect Henry Goodwin and structural engineer Richard Bradshaw, the rooftop doughnut is constructed out of rolled steel bars covered with gunite.[1]

In 1976, after shifting focus to his Pup 'N' Taco chain (bought by Taco Bell in 1984), Wendell sold the Big Donut Inglewood location to Robert Eskow who renamed the location "Randy's Donuts" after his son. In 1978, Eskow sold the shop to Ron and Larry Weintraub, who decided to retain the name for the business.[2]

In 2015, Randy's Donuts was purchased by lawyer and entrepreneur Mark Kelegian.[4] Since that time, the brand has added franchise locations in Southern California, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Las Vegas, and the Philippines.[5][6][7][8]

Randy's Donuts opened a location at Los Angeles International Airport in 2023[9] and in the No Ho Arts District in 2024.[10]

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  •  
    The Randy's Donuts sign alongside Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is ferried through the streets of Los Angeles on Friday, October 12, 2012.
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    Actor and comedian Jimmie Walker with brothers Ron and Larry Weintraub, 2013
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    Randy's Donuts can be seen from airplanes landing at LAX (center left, near cars waiting at Manchester Boulevard). Click on photo to see larger version.
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    A miniature version of the Randy's Donuts sign at its LAX location.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "LA Conservancy, Randy's Donuts". Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b Harvey, Steve (2009-08-30). "The numbers have fallen, but giant doughnuts are still around". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  3. ^ Nichols, Chris (2021-06-04). "Randy's Donuts Says It's Been Famous Since '62. History Tells a Different Story". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  4. ^ "Randy's Donuts is coming to Costa Mesa, but its iconic sign may crumble city's design standards". Los Angeles Times. 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  5. ^ "Don't be jelly: Randy's Donuts is on the rise in the hands of a Newport Beach family". Los Angeles Times. 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  6. ^ "LA's iconic Randy's Donuts opens first location in the San Fernando Valley". FOX 11. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  7. ^ "Randy's Donuts to roll into Las Vegas on August 16". 12 August 2022.
  8. ^ Arnaldo, Steph (February 26, 2022). "LA's Randy's Donuts to open first branch in Metro Manila". Rappler. Manila, Philippines. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Harden, Olivia (23 August 2023). "Beloved Randy's Donuts opens LAX location". Travel. SFGATE. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Randy's Donuts, known for its huge donut on the roof, opens shop in NoHo". Los Angeles Daily News. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
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