At 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, one man unfolded a lawn chair on the sidewalk at 2595 Homestead Road so he could be first in line when Randy's Donuts opened the next morning, the Silicon Valley Voice reported. By the time the doors opened, co-owner Ausaf Masud put the line at about 450 people. A long line had also formed across the street at Stan's Donut Shop, where owner Julie Clark said business "exploded" that day.
Opening week got called a donut war. Three months on, it looks more like two shops built for different errands. Stan's is a morning shop that sells by the dozen, takes cash or check, and closes in the early afternoon. Randy's sells a wider, pricier specialty menu and stays open later in the day. That difference is easy to overlook on a Saturday treat run. Over the next six weeks of office breakfasts, Thanksgiving mornings and school parties, it decides which side of Homestead Road you end up on.
A family shop since 1959 and an Inglewood landmark across the street
Stan's has been at 2628 Homestead Road since April 1959. Stanford "Stan" Wittmayer and his wife Florence, known as Tina, founded it, and all nine of their children worked behind the counter. It sits in the Mariposa Shopping Center, which it shares with Safeway, CVS, Main Street Bagels, Sumiya, Pho To Chau and Taichi Pot. Julie Clark, the founders' youngest daughter, runs it today. She told Palo Alto Online that Stan's will never franchise and will stay in the family, an extended family that includes employees who have been there almost 25 years and whose children now work there too.
Randy's started in Inglewood in 1952. Its giant rooftop doughnut has turned up in "The Simpsons," "Arrested Development" and "Iron Man 2," according to the Mercury News. The Santa Clara shop is its first in Northern California. It moved into the corner building once occupied by KFC, across the street from Stan's. KQED reported that three co-owners operate it under Sweet Rings LLC and hope to open about five Bay Area shops over time, with the Santa Clara kitchen making doughnuts for the future locations.
Before opening day, KRON4 reported that some Stan's supporters had pushed back on social media against a Los Angeles chain opening directly across from a local family business. Clark's own view, given to Palo Alto Online after opening weekend, was that the two are very different businesses.
The price gap explains the order size
"We're old school, classic. It's kind of the In-N-Out of doughnuts. We don't change a lot." Julie Clark, owner of Stan's Donut Shop, speaking to Palo Alto Online
Palo Alto Online put the same doughnuts from both counters side by side in early August, and the gap is clearest item by item:
| Doughnut, August 2026 | Stan's | Randy's |
|---|---|---|
| Maple-iced cake | $1.25 | $2.75 |
| Jelly-filled | $2.50 | $3.65 |
| Full single-doughnut range | $1.25 to $3 | $2.75 to $4.55 |
Those prices follow from two different business models. "We're a volume shop," Clark told Palo Alto Online. "We get dozens and dozens ordered at a time," mostly for meetings, events and family gatherings, while specialty shops tend to sell by the half dozen. Stan's doesn't take cards, and Clark said sticking with cash keeps the line moving at peak times and holds down costs so prices can stay low. Its own menu says it takes cash and checks only. The doughnuts are still hand cut and hand glazed from the same recipes. The menu calls the glazed doughnut "Famous Glazed," and apple fritters are listed for Mondays and Fridays.
Randy's menu runs to close to 50 items. It covers the classic raised, buttermilk and cake doughnuts and adds premium toppings like Nutella, matcha, s'mores, Oreo and Fruity Pebbles, along with specialty coffee, boba and milkshakes. Palo Alto Online also listed mango Tajin flavors, Texas doughnuts, which are giant raised rings, and Crondies, a croissant-doughnut hybrid. A Texas doughnut works as a centerpiece and a box of Crondies works as a novelty, and neither has much in common with four dozen glazed for a staff meeting.
The clock matters more than the menu
Stan's is open daily from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Phone orders have to be placed during business hours, at least 24 hours ahead and preferably 24 to 48. The shop asks for more lead time Thursday through Sunday and for catering-size orders, and it warns that quantities may be limited at peak times. If you remember dessert for a Saturday birthday on Friday evening, Stan's has already been closed for hours and won't take your call until morning.
Randy's runs later. Demand on opening weekend reached roughly 6,500 doughnuts a day, and the shop sold out hours before its planned 9 p.m. close, so Masud trimmed the hours while production caught up. The schedule Palo Alto Online printed in early August had Randy's open until 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. on Sunday and 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The posted hours have shifted more than once since opening, so check the Randy's Santa Clara page or call before a late run. KQED reported in July that a drive-through was planned for the location.
Both shops open at 6 a.m., so the real choice comes down to how many you need, how you plan to pay and how late in the day it is.
The holiday weeks, mapped to the counter
Stan's own site lists its closures for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, Black Friday on Nov. 27 and Christmas Day on Dec. 25. That shuts the family shop on the two mornings many households would want a box for guests. With the 24-to-48-hour ordering rule and the extra lead time for busy days, this is how the season lines up:
- Week of Nov. 16: A good time to call Stan's about any dozens for the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving, especially for office breakfasts. Bring cash or a checkbook for pickup.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, and Wednesday, Nov. 25: The last two Stan's mornings before the long weekend. Thanksgiving-morning doughnuts from Stan's have to be bought on Wednesday.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27: Stan's is closed. Randy's across the street is the Homestead Road option, so confirm its holiday hours directly.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Santa Clara's Holiday Tree Lighting runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd. By then Stan's has been closed since 2:30, so any doughnuts for the evening come from Randy's or get bought that morning.
- Mid-December: Office parties and school events stack up on Thursdays and Fridays, the days Stan's asks for the most notice. Call early in the week before.
- Friday, Dec. 25: Stan's is closed for Christmas Day.
Stan's menu also says flavors may change on holidays, so ask about anything specific when you order.
The part that does not change
Stan's still hangs menu signs more than 50 years old, hand painted by artist Luis Filipe Villafuerte. Clark told Palo Alto Online you can still see the faint guidelines he sketched to keep the letters straight. Her stated goal is for someone who first came in at age 6 to walk back in years later and find the same place.
On opening day, plenty of customers tried both shops. One told the Silicon Valley Voice that Randy's "has a lot more selection" while "Stan's glaze is unbeatable," and the Randy's item that tempted her most was the apple fritter, warmed up, with coffee. Another couple gave up on the long Randy's line and crossed the street to try Stan's for the first time. A block of Homestead Road now has a cash-or-check shop for dozens that closes at 2:30 and a specialty shop that stays open into the evening, facing each other across four lanes.
Hosting this season reminds me how much a smooth gathering depends on small timing details like these, and the same is true when a Santa Clara home goes on the market. If you're planning a sale or purchase around the holidays or the new year, Annemarie Heynig can help you build a timeline that works. Schedule a Free Consultation.
