It's National Donut Day: Here are 2 dozen classic shops where the vintage sign is a sweet treat
The first Friday in June is designated as National Donut Day. A box of donuts usually carries a dozen, but I couldn't help myself. We’re going for two dozen places today! Fortunately, these photos I’ve taken over the years are all calorie-free!
I’ve included a link to each location, so you can plan a trip yourself!
DUNKIN’, LAKE PARK FLORIDA
Up first is what was the last Dunkin’ Donuts neon sign, in Lake Park, Florida.
It was removed in 2021 and is said to have ended up in a private collection.
The location is historic as it was the last Dunkin’ that also offered diner service, and there’s still a small luncheonette inside. (At least there was when I visited in 2019.)
[MAP]
***
DUNKIN’, WESTWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS
The Dunkin’ in Westwood, Massachusetts features what can now be considered a rare Dunkin’ logo, which was introduced in 1976 and dropped in 2002, when they added the steaming coffee cup next to the words.
In 2019, they dropped the word “Donuts” entirely, which is incredible given that at one point, the chain’s marketing heralded that its donuts were “worth the trip.”
[MAP]
There’s another Dunkin’ nearby with the same logo, on a pole! [MAP]
***
DUNKIN’, QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS
Just 16 miles away is the site of the original Dunkin’ Donuts, founded in 1950, in Quincy. This retro-style building has a counter, as does the one that recently lost its neon.
[MAP]
***
DONUT TIME, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Fred the Baker was once the face of Dunkin’, always bemoaning that it was “time to make the donuts.” He should have worked at this now-closed shop in Oakland, California, with its epic “Donut Time” sign. And yes, it’s always donut time, not just the first Friday in June!
[MAP]
***
KRISPY KREME, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
America may “run on Dunkin’,” but it’s pretty sweet on Krispy Kreme, and here is a sign from a legacy location in Alexandria, Virginia. These are a dwindling breed, alas. One with this style of sign closed recently in Savannah, Georgia. (See related post below.)
Just in: Historic Krispy Kreme in Savannah, Georgia has closed
All I have to say is one word, and I’m going to stretch it out and make it count: Noooooooooooo! One of my favorite places in Savannah, Georgia, is the old-school Krispy Kreme on Skidaway Road, which I usually hit whenever I’m in the area— after checking in on the last 1970s Taco Bell sign down the street, of course.
***
DONUT DIP, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
The rest of our stops are mom-and-pops, like the great Donut Dip in Springfield, Massachusetts, shining since 1957. Some more pictures and background are in my Instagram post.
[MAP]
DONUT SHOPPE (SHAIKH’S PLACE), BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Up next is the Donut Shoppe in Brooklyn, New York, a vintage delight inside and out. Here’s a 2014 profile in the New York Times.
[MAP]
***
DONUT MAN, GLENDORA, CALIFORNIA
Behold the Donut Man in Glendora, California, which I sampled on my Route 66 journey back in 2013. Watch as the great Huell Howser visits the Donut Man.
***
CARL’S DO-NUT SHOP, POMONA, CALIFORNIA
Carl’s Do-Nut Shop is in Pomona, California, a wonderful city for urban archaeologists. The sign collapsed recently and was happily reinstalled.
***
AMA DONUTS, POMONA, CALIFORNIA
And this is what I mean about Pomona being a treasure for Retrologists like us! AMA Donuts is a former McDonald’s, one of the earliest ones from the early 1950s!
As I wrote earlier:
I’m lovin’ it! This is one of the earliest McDonald’s, a historic site that should be widely known and celebrated. It was opened by the McDonald brothers themselves, and was a Golden Arches until 1968. Later, the top portion of the arches were shorn from the building itself, but the site’s overall form is unmistakably a classic McDonald’s. Here’s hoping the site, now home to AMA Donuts in Pomona, California, is one day restored to its former glory. The sign may be the best surviving example of that generation of McDonald’s signage. It’s an important part of the story of midcentury America.
[MAP]
***
RANDY’S DONUTS, INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA
No conversation about Southern California donut culture is complete without Randy’s near LAX. I stop here (or the nearby Pann’s or In-N-Out) whenever I arrive in LA.
[MAP]
***
BUCKEYE DONUTS, COLUMBUS, OHIO
I got to visit this 24-hour charmer back in October. They’ve been in business since 1969.
[MAP]
***
LAUREL TAVERN DONUTS, LAUREL, MARYLAND
Laurel Tavern Donuts in Laurel, Maryland, is located inside a former Little Tavern hamburger stand. More in my post!
[MAP]
***
CALIFORNIA DONUTS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Retrologist by Rolando Pujol to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.