Winchell's Donuts

Winchell's Donuts logo
Type	Subsidiary
Founded	October 18, 1948 (1948-10-18)
Founder(s)	Verne Winchell
Headquarters	Industry, California
Number of locations	170+
Products	Doughnuts
Owner(s)	Yum-Yum Donuts

Winchell's Donuts is an international doughnut company founded by Verne Winchell on October 8, 1948, in Temple City, California. As of 2006, there are over 170 stores in 12 western states, as well as Guam, Saipan, and Saudi Arabia. Several stores also operated in Nagoya, Japan in the past, with most stores located inside the Uny supermarkets, as Uny Co., Ltd. was the master franchise holder in Japan. It is headquartered in City of Industry, California.

Winchell's Donuts on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California

The chain's slogan is "Home of the Warm 'n Fresh Donut," and it claims to be the West Coast's largest doughnut chain. It also offers its customers a 14-doughnut dozen, as opposed to the standard baker's dozen of 13.

Winchell's makes over 70 varieties of doughnuts, including raised doughnuts, cake doughnuts, buttermilk doughnuts, twists, and jelly doughnuts. Other baked products include croissants, cinnamon rolls, bagels, muffins, and scones. No animal fat is used either as an ingredient or for cooking their fried dough products. A large beverage selection is also available at each location, which includes a house blend of coffee made from dark roasted Arabica beans. Hot and frozen cappuccinos, orange and apple juice, milk, tea, and soda are also available.

Winchells was previously owned by Denny's, the large restaurant chain.

In 2004, Winchell's was purchased by Yum-Yum Donuts, a company which operates 70 donut shops under its own name, but continues to operate Winchell's shops under their historic name.

In 2005, it withdrew from the Kansas City area, and most locations became Krispy Kreme.

Winchell's in popular culture

• Frank Zappa mentions Winchell's Donuts in "Pygmy Twylyte" on Roxy & Elsewhere and in "The Blue Light" on his album Tinseltown Rebellion.

• Rapper Ice Cube mentions Winchell's Donuts in his song "Down for Whatever."

• On Will & Grace, Will Truman mentions that Grace Adler missed her SATs because she was waiting for the hot donuts at Winchell's. This is peculiar because Grace grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, where Winchell's does not operate.

• A Winchell's Donut shop is seen in the background of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home shortly after the crew of the late Starship Enterprise arrived in 20th century San Francisco.

• A Winchell's Donut shop is repeatedly shown in the background of Cobra (1986 film) during the gun fight in the first scene.

• The gravel roof of Winchell's Donuts was author Philip Yancey's home office view in his former Chicago home, as mentioned in "Reaching for the Invisible God."

• Winchell's is mentioned in the liner notes for Green Day's album Dookie.

• In the HBO series John from Cincinnati, Ed O'Neill's character, Bill, gives Freddie a box of Winchell's Variety Dozen as a form of peace.

• In the film Summer School, the kids ditch Mr. Shoop's class and go to Winchell's. When they are returned by the security guard, they offer Shoop a donut.

• In the HBO series Six Feet Under there is a scene where Brenda Chenowith is sitting in a Winchell's drinking coffee by herself.

• In the music video for Rock The Casbah by The Clash an Armadillo is seen passing a Winchell's Donut's in Austin Texas

External links

• Winchell's Donuts