[EXCLUSIVE] Landmark California Donut Shop Coming to Atlanta

Randy's Donuts, the California institution known for their landmark 32 foot donut, is coming to Atlanta!  Identical twin brothers Alvin and Calvin Waters are the franchisees behind the brand's Georgia expansion and are reportedly looking to open as many as ten locations in the metro.  

Established in Inglewood, California in 1952 by Russell Wendell, the shop was originally known as "Big Donut" but became Randy's in 1976 after Wendell sold the business to Robert Eskow who renamed it for his son.  Just two years later the business changed hands again when Eskow sold the shop to Ron and Larry Weintraub.  The Weintraubs ran the business until 2015 when they sold it to attorney and entrepreneur Mark Kelegian.

The huge donut at the shop's Inglewood location is immediately recognizable and has been featured in several movies, TV shows, and music videos, including Iron Man 2, Crocodile Dundee, Get Shorty, Arrested Development, and even spoofed in an episode of The Simpsons.  

Under Kelegian's ownership, Randy's grew to more than a dozen locations in southern California.  In 2019 he started to franchise and has seen locations open in Arizona and Las Vegas, with at least one coming soon to Albuquerque, New Mexico, too.  The brand has also grown internationally with locations open in South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines. 

According to the Randy's Donuts website, the new Atlanta eatery will open at 2540 Piedmont Road (the long abandoned former Shoney's) near the Lindbergh MARTA station. While this address has been displayed on the website for the better part of a year, there is no indication that it will actually open there.  There has been zero activity at the site, and no permits have been filed.  

The brothers who are originally from Macon but now reside in Atlanta first put out a press release in August 2023 announcing the brand's arrival in Atlanta.

  

"To maintain the brand's heritage, Alvin and Calvin Waters are working closely with the city of Atlanta to ensure that the iconic giant donut sign becomes a prominent feature of the new location. This sign will not only pay homage to Randy's Donuts but also serve as an eye- catching landmark and a social media worthy spot for locals and tourists."   

Now, Randy's appears to be opening at Lenox Square (3393 Peachtree Road), where permits for both a business license wall signs were recently filed.  Neither permit indicates an exact location, but the limited scope of the permits as well as a source at the mall suggest that Randy's will open in the small container along Peachtree Road previously home to DaVinci's Donuts and more recently, Azucar Cuban Express.  

DaVinci's (along with Jittery Joe's Coffee) was the container's original tenant and enjoyed several successful years while Azucar opened this past August and only lasted a few months.  

The Waters will not bake on premise and will instead rely on their commissary facility at PREP Kitchens Atlanta South on Perkerson Road in southwest Atlanta to supply it and their planned other metro locations.  The twins' social media pages are full of Randy's content as well as mention of a planned Randy's at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

In addition to Randy's, ToNeTo Atlanta reported this past November that Kelly's Cajun Grill is also opening in the mall's food court. Kelly's, like the existing Popeyes, is owned by IRMG, a multi-concept restaurant operator.  A recently filed permit with the City of Atlanta suggests that IRMG also plans to open a new Starbucks at the mall, marking the return of the coffee house to the main mall.  (A separate Starbucks is still open within Macy's.) 

Within the mall itself, there are several vacant storefronts, with Forever 21 and its more than 27,000 square foot flagship store expected to close soon.     

Have you been to Randy's Donuts?  Are you excited about the opening of Randy's Donuts in Buckhead?  Where else in metro Atlanta would you like to see Randy's Donuts open?

Please share your thoughts below.