LaMar's Donuts and Coffee
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is a privately held, regional franchise chain founded in 1933 that sells handmade donuts and freshly roasted coffee across 24 locations in five U.S. states, serving individual consumers via storefronts, online ordering, and a branded e-commerce merchandise shop.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What LaMar's Donuts and Coffee does
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is a regional handmade donut and coffee franchise founded in 1933 by Raymond Lamar in Kansas City, Missouri, and currently operating 24 franchise locations across five U.S. states (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska). The company is privately held by Donut Holdings, Inc., a Colorado corporation led by President Matt Joslin, with corporate headquarters in Denver. Its core product is handmade donuts crafted from scratch using recipes unchanged since 1933, paired with freshly roasted coffee offered in Light, Medium, Decaf, and Dark Roast variants; production across the system is approximately 344,700 donuts per week (17.9 million annually).
The business operates a dual revenue model: in-store retail of donuts and coffee at franchise storefronts (most equipped with online ordering via order.online and, in some markets, DoorDash delivery), plus a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop selling branded apparel, drinkware, bath bombs, collector's ornaments, a $599.99 neon clock, and gift cards ranging from $5 to $500. Customer acquisition relies on a multi-channel approach combining the 'Lover for Life' loyalty program, active social media presence (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube), community donations, and substantial earned media (Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, The New Yorker, Zagat). Distribution is entirely regional (five contiguous states) with no international footprint and no disclosed institutional investment or public-market activity.
The company's competitive positioning rests on heritage brand equity (nearly 90 years of continuous operation, a publicized blind taste-test victory over Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, and Winchell's, and a 'King of Donuts' designation from Jay Leno) rather than on technology or scale advantages. Franchise expansion, started in the 1990s under Ray and Shannon Lamar, remains the principal growth lever, supplemented by ongoing merchandise SKU extension and digital ordering integrations.
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LaMar's Donuts and Coffee
- Legal name
- Donut Holdings, Inc.
- Website
- https://lamars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is a privately held, regional franchise chain founded in 1933 that sells handmade donuts and freshly roasted coffee across 24 locations in five U.S. states, serving individual consumers via storefronts, online ordering, and a branded e-commerce merchandise shop.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Bakery & Coffee Shop
- NAICS
- Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Retail Bakeries (311811), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donut Shops (THAFAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)
Keywords
Where LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices17 records
Markets served
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Donut and Coffee Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling fresh handmade donuts and fresh-roasted coffee at retail locations across 5 states. Each location serves as a gourmet donut store, coffee bar, and community gathering place.
- Merchandise and Gift Cards: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, drinkware, bath bombs, ornaments, and gift cards. Products include t-shirts ($15.99-$21.99), hats ($27.99-$32.99), hoodies ($64.99-$89.99), coffee mugs, water bottles, and gift cards ($5-$500).
- Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise owners who pay for the right to operate LaMar's Donuts locations using the established brand, recipes, and operational systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards available in fixed denominations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Apparel items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Drinkware items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialty merchandise |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee sells handmade donuts crafted from scratch using recipes unchanged since 1933 and fresh-roasted coffee through 24 franchise locations across five states and an online shop. Revenue is anchored by in-store donut and coffee sales, supplemented by packaged ground coffee, gift cards, and branded merchandise including apparel, drinkware, novelty items, and tote bags. A franchise program and the Lover for Life loyalty program extend the brand across geographies and drive repeat customer engagement.
Product overview
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is a regional donut and coffee chain founded in 1933, operating 24 franchise locations across five states (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska). The company offers a single unified product portfolio centered on handmade donuts and freshly roasted coffee, supplemented by a merchandise line and a loyalty program. Core offerings include signature glazed donuts and a full coffee menu (Light Roast, Medium Roast, Decaf, and Dark Roast), sold alongside gift cards and branded merchandise including apparel, bath bombs, decor items, and drinkware. The Lover for Life loyalty program provides customer rewards, while the franchise program enables expansion through independent operators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ray's Original Glazed Donut: The signature glazed donut that made LaMar's famous, featuring a light-golden exterior that collapses into a creamy pleasure, fully coated in shiny glaze.
- Lover For Life
Products and services
- LaMar's Handmade Donuts Handmade donuts crafted from scratch using recipes unchanged since 1933, sold at 24 franchise locations across five states; system-wide production volume of approximately 344,700 donuts per week.
- LaMar's Ground Coffee (Light, Medium, Decaf, Dark Roast) Fresh-roasted ground coffee offered in Light Roast, Medium Roast, Medium Roast Decaf, and Dark Roast varieties, sold both in-store and online at $15.99 per bag.
- LaMar's Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable at LaMar's locations, available in denominations of $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40, $50, $100, $200, $300, $400, and $500.
- Lover for Life Loyalty Program Free-to-enroll customer loyalty program that rewards repeat purchases of donuts and coffee with free product, birthday treats, and National Donut Day perks.
- LaMar's Branded Apparel (T-shirts, Caps, Hoodies, Knit Hats, Scarves) Branded apparel assortment including cotton tees ($15.99-$21.99), caps ($27.99-$32.99), hoodies ($64.99-$89.99), knit hats, and scarves sold through the LaMar's online shop.
- LaMar's Branded Drinkware (Mugs, Tumblers, Thermoses, Water Bottles) Branded drinkware assortment including coffee mugs ($5.99-$30.99), water bottles and tumblers ($30.99), and thermoses ($19.99).
- LaMar's Branded Novelty and Home Decor (Neon Clock, Ornaments, Bath Bombs) Branded novelty and home decor items including a 24" neon wall clock with gold hands ($599.99), collector's ornaments ($9.99), and donut-shaped bath bombs available in six fragrances ($5.00 each).
- Donut Transport Tote (Woven Tote Bag) LaMar's-branded woven tote bag priced at $20.99 for everyday carrying.
- LaMar's Franchise Program Franchise offering for entrepreneurs to open and operate LaMar's Donuts retail locations, providing a proven operations system, brand name, recipes, and marketing support across the company's five-state footprint.
Quantifiable outcome
- 344,700 donuts produced per week across all locations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use LaMar's Donuts and Coffee
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Voodoo Doughnut: Cult-brand gourmet donut chain with national tourism-driven awareness. Comparable as a premium, brand-led donut concept in the same craft/artisan positioning as LaMar's.
- Top Pot Doughnuts: Seattle-based premium/artisan donut chain with a small footprint and strong brand. Comparable as a craft-positioned donut concept; smaller and less franchise-driven than LaMar's.
Regional players
- Café Du Monde: Iconic New Orleans coffee and beignet (donut-adjacent fried dough) shop. Comparable as a heritage coffee + fried-dough concept with strong brand recognition and food-service tourism draw.
- District Donuts Sliders Brew: Multi-concept donut + savory + beer operator concentrated in a single US metro. Comparable as a craft donut retailer selling complementary coffee; not a direct franchisor competitor.
Direct peers
- Krispy Kreme: National premium donut chain with a similar handmade-from-scratch heritage story and franchise model. Direct competitor on product, customer occasion, and geographic overlap; LaMar's blind taste-test win was explicitly against Krispy Kreme.
- Dunkin' (formerly Dunkin' Donuts): Largest US donut and coffee chain with a heavily franchised model; competes head-to-head with LaMar's on breakfast donut-and-coffee occasions and was also a named competitor in LaMar's blind taste-test win.
- Winchell's Donut House: West Coast-focused donut chain with a long operating history and franchise model. Directly comparable as a multi-state donut franchise peer and was a named competitor in LaMar's blind taste-test victory.
- Shipley Do-Nuts: Texas-based handmade donut franchise chain with hundreds of units across the South. Comparable as a franchise-driven, fresh-made donut concept targeting similar morning/daypart occasions.
- Tim Hortons: Iconic North American donut-and-coffee chain with a franchise system. Comparable as a regional-to-national donut/coffee franchise brand competing for the same breakfast daypart.
- Daylight Donuts: Multi-state donut franchise chain headquartered in the Midwest, overlapping LaMar's core geographic corridor and targeting similar franchisees and customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceLaMar's Donuts and Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LaMar's Donuts and Coffee
What does LaMar's Donuts and Coffee do?
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee sells handmade donuts crafted from scratch using recipes unchanged since 1933 and fresh-roasted coffee through 24 franchise locations across five states and an online shop. Revenue is anchored by in-store donut and coffee sales, supplemented by packaged ground coffee, gift cards, and branded merchandise including apparel, drinkware, novelty items, and tote bags. A franchise program and the Lover for Life loyalty program extend the brand across geographies and drive repeat customer engagement.
Is LaMar's Donuts and Coffee a public or private company?
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was LaMar's Donuts and Coffee founded?
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee was founded in 1933. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is LaMar's Donuts and Coffee based?
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does LaMar's Donuts and Coffee make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Donut and Coffee Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise and Gift Cards and franchise Fees.
Who are LaMar's Donuts and Coffee's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Voodoo Doughnut and Top Pot Doughnuts. Regional players are Café Du Monde and District Donuts Sliders Brew. Direct peers are Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' (formerly Dunkin' Donuts), Winchell's Donut House, Shipley Do-Nuts, Tim Hortons and Daylight Donuts.
Does LaMar's Donuts and Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for LaMar's Donuts and Coffee.
What industry is LaMar's Donuts and Coffee in?
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee's product category is Specialty Bakery & Coffee Shop. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAE, Donut Shops, with a secondary code of THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes. Its NAICS code is 445291 and its SIC code is 2050.