LA’s iconic 73-year-old doughnut shop is soon opening its first Bay Area location

A doughnut shop with cameos in “Iron Man 2,” “The Simpsons” and “The Tonight Show” is opening its first Bay Area location in Santa Clara.

Randy’s Donuts, a Los Angeles landmark since 1952, specializes in handmade doughnuts, from classic glazed raised to premium doughnuts dipped in matcha glaze or topped with Oreo pieces. Expected to open in Q1 of 2026, Randy’s Donuts Santa Clara will act as a commissary kitchen for future Bay Area locations of the shop.

“We have been eyeing Randy’s Donuts for a long time based on its iconic presence inside L.A., Hollywood, a lot of movies, people really relate to it,” said Ausaf Masud, co-owner of Randy’s Donuts Santa Clara. “We wanted a handmade, family-owned businesses that we can expand and bring to the South Bay.”

While this is Masud’s debut in the food and beverage industry, his business partner Adeel Siddiqui has been in the Bay Area restaurant business for 17 years and is the owner of the Port of Peri Peri brand. 

Randy’s originated in the 1940s when Russell Wendell opened the Big Do-Nut Drive-In. In 1952 he opened what would become an iconic landmark – the second location of his doughnut shop with a 32-foot doughnut sculpture on its roof. In 1976, Robert Eskow bought the shop and renamed it Randy’s. Since 2015, Mark Kelegian has been the owner of Randy’s Donuts, and now the company has more than 50 locations globally.

“One thing you may not see in Santa Clara is the 32-foot donut, because Santa Clara doesn’t allow that unfortunately,” Masud said. “Let’s see how big we can land off a donut for Santa Clara.”

Located in the former space of Chinese restaurant Top Chef, Randy’s Donuts Santa Clara will have a large kitchen area with a small seating area (approximately four to eight seats inside with additional seating outside, according to Masud). The space, once a KFC, also has a drive-thru, which Masud hopes to eventually utilize. But for Randy’s launch, the drive-thru won’t be operational, he said.

Randy’s Santa Clara will be located just a three-minute walk from Stan’s Donuts, a family-owned, independent doughnut shop established in 1959 by Stanford Wittmyer, a WWII veteran. Masud said there were a lot of variables that went into selecting Randy’s location, including size of the space, availability, pricing, cost, design and construction.

“To be very clear about it, we did not want to tap into Stan’s customer base,” he said. “Sometimes healthy competition also helps each other.”

Randy’s menu is divided into classic (such as chocolate raised and cherry iced cake), deluxe (think chocolate Long John and lemon old fashioned), fancy (apple fritter and chocolate cronut, called “crondy”) and premium (Nutella raised and red velvet with ganache) selections. Seasonal doughnuts are also available for holidays such as Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

Randy’s coffee drinks are made with a 100% arabica coffee blend and include flavors such as butter crumb, maple cream and sea salt caramel. Boba tea, milkshakes and frozen and iced refreshers are also available.

Three to four more Bay Area locations are in the works, although no locations have been locked in, according to Masud.

“I want to fill up the Bay Area with Randy’s Donuts,” he said.

Randy’s Donuts, 2595 Homestead Road, Santa Clara; Instagram: @randysdonuts. Expected to open in Q1 of 2026.

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