LA’s 70-year-strong icon Randy’s Donuts is making big moves in Las Vegas. After opening its first local shop in August and selling out every sweet morsel for weeks, Randy’s has found a home on the Strip at Resorts World, taking over some space and a convenient service window at breakfast sandwich hot spot Sun’s Out Buns Out.
And there’s much more on the way, starting with a third location on West Charleston Boulevard, set to open on February 15. Two other sites in the southwest Valley are designated for new construction soon.
“We always expected to do well and take a foothold, but what happened in those first couple of months was just unbelievable,” CEO Mark Kelegian says. “That [Rainbow location] is our second-highest-sale store in the entire system right now behind the original Inglewood location, so we’re just thrilled.”
Thanks to its SoCal location and tons of appearances in movies and TV shows, Randy’s has become one of the most recognizable doughnut brands in the world, and in recent years it has been one of the fastest growing franchises in the country. Its Vegas plans were always going to include the Strip, but the Resorts World location made for an ideal first foray into the tourist corridor, Kelegian says. “They really support they brands they’re bringing in. We’ve got a good format going that I think at some point we might be duplicating at other casinos on the Strip.”
No matter the pace of expansion, it all comes down to making good doughnuts, from a classic glazed-and-raised to a cream-filled Maple Long John. Randy’s sticks to the tried-and-true, and its tasty treats keep customers coming back well after they realize this is the same shop with that giant golden-brown doughnut atop the building on West Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood.
“We all know most of the visitors and a lot of the residents here are from California, but at the end of the day, it’s the quality of our doughnuts,” Kelegian says. “You can be as popular as you want and have great marketing and social media, but if the product isn’t up to the standard, you’re just not going to get that customer to come back.”
RANDY DONUTS 2170 S. Rainbow Blvd., 725-444-6782, randysdonuts.com, 24/7. At Sun’s Out Buns Out at Resorts World, rwlasvegas.com, 24/7.
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