Kindle’s Donuts

The One That Started It All

Before Randy’s Donuts became a fixture in Hollywood films and a stop on every tourist itinerary, there was this modest corner shop in South LA. In 1950, donut-machine salesman Russell Wendell opened his first Big Do-Nut Drive-In here at Normandie and Century in Westmont. He’d go on to build nine more locations across greater Los Angeles, each topped with the same giant rooftop donut — a steel-framed sculpture covered in gunite, designed by structural engineer Richard Bradshaw (the same engineer behind the iconic Theme Building at LAX). After Wendell sold off his chain in the 1970s, this original location passed through a brief stint as a Randy’s before Gary Kindle bought it in 1977 and renamed it. The hyphenated “Do-Nuts” on the sign is a small but distinctive detail that sets it apart from every other surviving location in the chain.

The rooftop donut here is the same type as the famous one in Inglewood — a bold, brown, ring-shaped sculpture that reads clearly from both directions on Century Boulevard. To anyone who knows the history, the corner has a different weight to it. This is where it started.

The Shop Itself

Kindle’s is small and straightforward. There’s a walk-up counter, a parking lot, and no seating inside. Most customers pull up, order, and leave in under five minutes. That’s by design — this was a drive-in from the beginning, built for a city organized around the car.

The menu focuses on classics: glazed, old-fashioned, buttermilk, crumb glaze, maple bars, bear claws, apple fritters, donut holes, and the Big Texas — an oversized donut that lives up to the name. Regulars consistently single out the buttermilk and crumb glaze varieties as standouts. Bear claws and apple fritters hold up well even late in the day. Pricing is well below average for LA, with most individual donuts in the $1–$2 range, making it one of the more affordable donut options in the city.

Donuts are fresh. Visitors who stop by at 9pm report a solid selection still available. For a 24-hour shop, that consistency is appreciated.

Honest Take on the Experience

Most visitors report quick, friendly service. A minority of reviews mention occasionally gruff or indifferent staff — though given the volume and hours, that’s not unusual for a counter shop running around the clock. There are no frills here, no specialty flavors, no seating nooks. If that’s what you’re after, this isn’t the place.

The Westmont neighborhood is working-class South LA. The shop is embedded in the community rather than positioned as a destination. It’s a perfectly fine area to visit during daylight and active hours, but it doesn’t have the foot traffic or pedestrian atmosphere of trendier parts of the city. You won’t linger. You’ll grab your donuts, maybe get a photo with the giant rooftop donut, and move on.

Why Kindle’s Is in the Guide

Randy’s Donuts gets the tourists and the movie crews. Kindle’s gets the people who actually live nearby — and that’s been true for decades. The donuts are good, the price is honest, and the shop occupies a real piece of LA architectural history that most visitors never find.

Randy’s has the fame. Kindle’s has the original address.