DONOT take my DONUT!

There was a Planning Commission meeting tonight and the biggest topic - or at least the sweetest - was the discussion about the fate of the giant donut located at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and 7th Street.  Once a harbinger of the Chapman Angel Food Donuts chain, it is currently incorporated into the Original Grind and is one of the survivors of the many kitschy novelty signs that were erected in the early 1950's.

 

 

Dunkin' Donuts is coming to Long Beach and they've bought the location.  Plans have been to demolish the current building and rebuild a newer, shinier, pretty place, sans le grand donut.  A Facebook page was created to "Save the Giant Donut" and, as of this evening, it has almost 1,600 "likes", including mine.

 

Sometime in the late 1950's a young Katie spoke her first sentence, inspired by that giant donut, startling her mother and grandmother who were in the car with her:  "Why not stop and get some donuts?"  Now, how could they possibly even think of removing it, with that bit of Long Beach history attached?

 

Well, tonight Dunkin' Donuts has committed to saving the donut and incorporating it into their plans.  Said a spokesman for Dunkin' Donuts, "We don't want to be known as the guy who killed the donut."  Wise guy.

 

There are other giant donuts around Long Beach; 2657 Santa Fe, 1907 Carson Street and 3860 Long Beach Blvd.

 

The most famous giant donut is in Inglewood at Randy's Donuts and has appeared in many movies and TV shows.  So their donut is more famous, but we have more in Long Beach.  And ours inspire babes to speak.  Why not stop and get some donuts, indeed?