{"id":420762,"date":"2026-08-01T12:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/420762\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:28:10","slug":"doughnut-lovers-line-up-at-newly-opened-randys-old-fave-stans-in-santa-clara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/420762\/","title":{"rendered":"Doughnut lovers line up at newly opened Randy’s, old fave Stan’s in Santa Clara"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Friday\u2019s convergence of customers on Homestead Road, the city of Santa Clara, aka the Mission City, might want to add another nickname to its marketing materials:<\/p>\n

Doughnut Central.<\/p>\n

That richly deserved title was earned on both sides of the street.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of customers lined up before sunrise at the corner of Homestead and Las Palmas Drive, eager to try doughnuts from the first Northern California outpost of Randy\u2019s Donuts<\/a>, an LA legend-turned-pop culture icon.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the shopping center kitty-corner, a hundred or more loyalists stood in line to support Stan\u2019s Donuts, a South Bay institution.<\/p>\n

\"LongtimeLongtime customers of Stan’s Donut Shop in Santa Clara came out to show their support for the local business on July 31, the day a competitor opened nearby. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Denise and Tim Flippo, fans of Stan\u2019s maple bar and buttermilk doughnut, respectively, stopped by \u201cto show allegiance\u201d to the longtime local business. Of Randy\u2019s, she said: \u201cI\u2019m hoping their novelty will wear off across the street and Stan\u2019s will live on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in line were members of the Plaha family of Santa Clara, who have been fans since son Nihal, 10, devoured a Stan\u2019s doughnut at the age of 1, mother Kassey recounted, laughing. Daughter Dhiaan, 14, says the glazed originals offer \u201cthat perfect balance \u2014 not too sweet.\u201d And Nihal, eyeballing the line, noted the speed of the Stan\u2019s staff, then declared, \u201cIt\u2019s the In-N-Out of doughnuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the Plahas are curious about Randy\u2019s and eager to give that shop a chance to live up to their standards.<\/p>\n

Steve and Janet Alfinito may be sticking with their sentimental favorite and not venturing across the street. \u201cI\u2019ve been supportive of Stan\u2019s since before there was a San Tomas Expressway (nearby),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, both shops date back to the 1950s, and both report that the glazed, raised doughnut is their bestseller ($1.90 at Stan\u2019s, $2.75 at Randy\u2019s).<\/p>\n

Stan Wittmayer, a World War II veteran, and wife Florence launched their single-location bakery in 1959, with all nine children working there at one time or another. The shop is still owned by the Wittmayer family.<\/p>\n

Randy\u2019s is new to most Bay Area customers, despite having recipes older than Stan\u2019s. CEO Mark Kelegian said the Southern California-based bakery empire dates to 1952, and was family-owned for decades before changing hands and now franchising. Randy\u2019s was named after the founder\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

Besides offering up to 50 flavors\/varieties of doughnuts, including such specialties as Maple Bacon Long Johns and the seasonal Mango Tajin, Kelegian said the Randy\u2019s shops round out the customer options with breakfast sandwiches and a long lineup of coffee drinks and refreshers.<\/p>\n

They maintain longer hours than most doughnut shops, operating until 9 or 10 p.m. every day, so they can fulfill the need for sweets late in the afternoon or after dinner.<\/p>\n

\"DonutsDonuts are available at Randy\u2019s Donuts in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

While some customers on Friday jokingly referred to the doughnut wars, both the Randy\u2019s and Stan\u2019s owners downplayed that prospect.<\/p>\n

Owner Julie Clark, a Wittmayer daughter, put the focus on the overwhelming response of her family shop\u2019s clientele. \u201cWe appreciate everyone in this line,\u201d she said from behind the counter. \u201cThe support is heartfelt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stan\u2019s customer Glenn Polini was critical of the city of Santa Clara for allowing Randy\u2019s to open \u201c100 yards from \u2026 a little family-owned business.\u201d He said he wished the company had found another location. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you go out to El Camino or Stevens Creek or out by the 49ers stadium?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ausaf Masud of Campbell, one of three business partners who own this Randy\u2019s franchise, understands those views and explained why this site is such a good fit. He said this corner building, formerly home to a KFC, appealed to them because of the large kitchen and the prospect of reopening the drive-thru lane, a feature not many properties offer.<\/p>\n

He predicts a \u201chealthy competition\u201d for the two shops, noting that customers can go one day to Stan\u2019s, and the next day to Randy\u2019s. \u201cIt\u2019s double the doughnut fun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople buy donuts during Randy\u2019s Donuts\u2019 grand opening in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an approach that customer Ameer Al-Gharib was already taking. He said he and a friend had divvied up the doughnut duty and each was buying at one of the shops. He was in line at Stan\u2019s and his buddy at Randy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

But where would they meet to do a taste test and have a frank discussion about their views? Is there neutral ground between Randy\u2019s and Stan\u2019s?<\/p>\n

Another customer, Dave Loya, pointed across the parking lot to a corner business.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaco Bell!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Details: Randy\u2019s Donuts, 2595 Homestead Road, opens at 6 a.m. and serves until 9 or 10 at night. Stan\u2019s, at 2628 Homestead Road, is open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Friday\u2019s convergence of customers on Homestead Road, the city of Santa Clara, aka the Mission City, might…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":420763,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[10276,184,7,2333,421,1533,181,23,100,182,412,88,90,89,197,198,200,420],"class_list":["post-420762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-bakery","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-editors-picks","tag-food-and-drink","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pm-report","tag-restaurants","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-santa-clara","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-south-bay","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}