This National Donut Day, there’s good news and bad news. Bad news first: Open since 2016, eclectic donut shop Donut Bar has closed its doors.
But those of us who are sad to see Donut Bar go are getting some good news: the Donut Bar space will be taken over by Carl’s Donuts, a Las Vegas donut institution since 1966.
“My grandparents Carl and Lynn started it out of their hotel in Lake Tahoe,” Carl’s Donuts COO Amber Ramsay told What Now on Thursday. “They kept noticing their customers were leaving for breakfast, and they wanted to keep them there.”
By happenstance, the couple happened to see someone selling donut friers. They bought one, learned how to make donuts of their own, and just like that, Carl’s Donuts was ready to go.
“Eventually, they sold the hotel and moved to Las Vegas and made it their everything,” said Ramsay.
The result was two donut shops and a thriving wholesale donut business. The company shifted, in 2000, to focusing entirely on wholesale from that year until 2018, when it reentered the brick-and-mortar donut shop business with its current location at 3170 Sunset Rd, Suite F. Taking over for Donut Bar at 124 S 6th St #140, Carl’s Donuts will be back up to two donut shops. Meanwhile, the wholesale business continues to thrive.
“Our daily number averages from 60,000 to 70,000 donuts a day,” Ramsay said.
Carl’s Donuts offers Classic Donut varieties like Cinnamon Crumb Cake, Old Fashioned (Glazed, Chocolate, or Maple), and the Maple Bar. Fancy Donuts include the Tiger Tail and the Apple Fritter, and the Top Shelf Donuts menu boasts elaborate flavors like the Raspberry Cream Cheese Filled Bar, the Bananas Foster Bar, and the Crème Brûlée donut. Carl’s is also debuting confections like the Ube Cruffin (croissant dough baked in a muffin pan, stuffed with ube filling) and the upcoming Croughie, a donut made with croissant dough.
Details on the space’s interior are still under development, Ramsay says, but Carl’s Donuts is expected to open on Sixth Street this September.
Follow @carlsdonutslv on Instagram to keep up with Carl’s Donuts news.
