Randy's Donuts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Randy's Donuts |
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Randy's in 2005
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| 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 very famous bakery and a landmark building in Inglewood, California. It's located close to the Los Angeles International Airport. This building is special because it's built in a unique style called "novelty architecture." This means the building itself looks like the product it sells!
Randy's Donuts has a giant doughnut on its roof. This huge doughnut sits on top of a regular drive-in building, which is where they make and sell all their delicious doughnuts. The building was designed by an architect named Henry J. Goodwin.
The giant doughnut signs on Randy's stores come in different sizes. Most locations have a doughnut that is about 32 feet (or 9.9 meters) wide. This huge doughnut sits on the roof and faces the street. Some other locations, like Bellflower and Reseda, have a smaller doughnut. This one is about 23 feet (or 7 meters) wide and sits on a pole in front of the building.
This doughnut shop is open 24 hours a day. You can find it at 805 West Manchester Boulevard, near the San Diego Freeway (I-405).
The Story of Randy's Donuts
The story of Randy's Donuts began in the late 1940s. A salesman named Russell Wendell, who sold doughnut machines, started a chain of drive-in doughnut shops. He called them "Big Donut."
The first "Big Donut" shop opened in 1951. The second location, which is now Randy's Donuts, opened in 1952. The giant doughnut on the roof was designed by Henry Goodwin. It was built using strong steel bars covered with a special material called gunite.
In 1976, Russell Wendell sold the "Big Donut" shop in Inglewood. He wanted to focus on his other restaurant chain, Pup 'N' Taco. Robert Eskow bought the doughnut shop and renamed it "Randy's Donuts" after his son.
Then, in 1978, Robert Eskow sold the shop to two brothers, 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 company has grown a lot! They have opened new locations in Southern California, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Las Vegas, and the Philippines.
Images for kids
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Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, 1991
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The Randy's Donuts sign next to the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it moved through Los Angeles in 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).
See also
- List of doughnut shops
- The Donut Hole
