Randy's Donuts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Randy's Donuts |
|
|---|---|
Randy's in 2005
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Restaurant, doughnut shop, bakery |
| Architectural style | Novelty architecture |
| Town or city | Inglewood, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°57′42″N 118°22′13″W / 33.9618°N 118.3703°W |
| Opened | 1953 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Henry J. Goodwin |
Randy's Donuts is a famous donut shop chain from the United States. It's super well-known for the giant donut sign on top of its first building in Inglewood, California. This spot is close to the Los Angeles International Airport. Many people think this huge donut is one of Los Angeles' most famous sights!
The original Randy's Donuts is open 24 hours a day. It's a drive-in shop located at 805 West Manchester Boulevard. This is right where it meets La Cienega Boulevard. It's also near the I-405 freeway.
Contents
The Story of Randy's Donuts
In the late 1940s, a salesman named Russell Wendell started a chain of drive-in donut shops. He called them Big Donut. The very first Big Donut opened in 1951. The second location, which is now the famous Randy's Donuts, opened in 1952.
In 1976, Russell Wendell sold the Inglewood Big Donut shop. He sold it to Robert Eskow. Robert renamed the shop "Randy's Donuts" after his son. In 1978, Eskow sold the shop to Ron and Larry Weintraub. They decided to keep the name Randy's Donuts.
In 2015, a lawyer and businessman named Mark Kelegian bought Randy's Donuts. Since then, the brand has grown a lot! New shops have opened in Southern California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. You can also find Randy's Donuts outside the United States. There are shops in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Japan.
Randy's Donuts opened a new shop at Los Angeles International Airport in 2023. Another new location opened in the NoHo Arts District in 2024.
The Giant Donut Building
The original Randy's Donuts building was designed by Henry J. Goodwin. The giant donut on the roof is very special. It's said that a civil engineer named Bradshaw designed it. He also worked on the famous Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport.
The rooftop donut is made from rolled steel bars. These bars are covered with a special concrete called gunite. The building itself is a regular drive-up food stand. It's a dedicated donut bakery. The huge donut on the roof makes it stand out! The Los Angeles Conservancy even called it a "programmatic architectural building." This means the building itself looks like what it sells, or in this case, has a giant symbol of what it sells.
Donut Signs Around the World
When Randy's Donuts opened a franchise shop in Shibuya, Tokyo, it got a special donut sign. This sign is about 4 meters (13 feet) wide. It was placed right in front of the shop on the ground.
Gallery
-
The Randy's Donuts sign next to the Space Shuttle Endeavour. This was on October 12, 2012, as it moved through Los Angeles.
-
Actor and comedian Jimmie Walker with brothers Ron and Larry Weintraub in 2013.
-
Randy's Donuts can be seen from airplanes landing at LAX. It's to the left of the bridge over the freeway at Manchester Boulevard.
-
A smaller version of the Randy's Donuts sign at its LAX location.
-
Randy's Donuts at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
-
The different donut flavors offered at Randy's Donuts in the Philippines.
See also
- List of doughnut shops
- The Donut Hole
- Big donuts of Southern California
