Lamar's Donuts and Coffee is a restaurant chain that sells donuts and coffee. It was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, with its headquarters in Denver, Colorado.[1] Lamar's has 25 stores in five states: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Lamar's Donuts has won newspaper readers' poll awards for best doughnuts in several cities.[2]

LaMar's Donuts
A LaMar's shop in Denver, Colorado.
Restaurant information
Food typedoughnut, donut, coffee, baked goods, hot beverages, frozen beverages, iced beverages
Street address3600 South Yosemite Street. Suite 750
CityDenver
StateColorado
Postal/ZIP Code80237
Other locationsArizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska
Websitewww.lamars.com

History

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In 1960, founder Ray LaMar opened a donut shop in midtown Kansas City in a converted gas station on Linwood Boulevard. The business was later franchised in 1990. The business has since relocated and is currently located in Denver, Colorado.

Products

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Lamar's offers a variety of donuts,[3] including Ray's Original Glazed Donuts, cake donuts, and donut holes. They also offer specialties including Lamar's Bars, Bizmarks and sour cream donuts.

LaMar's roasts their coffee beans in Denver, then ships them to their stores. Their coffee drinks include cappuccinos, lattes, iced espresso-based beverages, and blended espresso-based drinks. Lamar's Donuts also offers a line of blended fruit smoothies called LA Frappés.[4]

Media recognition

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The donuts made by LaMar's have been positively reviewed by numerous national media sources including NBC's Jay Leno,[5] The New Yorker, Food Network and the Zagat Survey. Jay Leno dubbed Ray the "King of Donuts."[6] They are also included on several awards lists, including:

  • Best of KC by 435 Magazine and Pitch Magazine in 2014
  • Colorado's Best Food and Beverage Brand by Yahoo News in 2014
  • Best of Omaha in 2016 by Omaha Magazine
  • Feast Magazine's best donut shop in 2016
  • Best Restaurant in Kansas and Denver in 2016 by Zomato.com
  • Travel Channel's Best of Missouri in 2017

For National Donut Day in 2017, they became the first donut store to deliver donuts via air drone, making drops around Denver to the mayor, police, firefighters, and community members. This event generated media placements both locally and nationally, including features in four Denver TV stations, Denver Business Journal, Huffington Post, ABC News, and Mashable.

Partnerships

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Lamar's Donuts has participated in events such as the annual Whiskey and the Donuts Festival in Denver. LaMar's Donuts works with local police officers to sponsor events on National Coffee with a Cop Day.[7]

Lamar's has frequently partnered with The Salvation Army since 2009 to donate proceeds from the week of National Donut Day to the organization's youth services. They also celebrate this event by educating the community about The Salvation Army's programs and how people can help or contribute to their cause.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Contact Us | LaMar's Donuts".
  2. ^ "LaMar's Donuts Ranked 'Colorado's Best Food and Beverage Brand,' Second Best Donut Chain in America".
  3. ^ "Donuts | LaMar's Donuts". www.lamars.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  4. ^ "Beverages | LaMar's Donuts". www.lamars.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  5. ^ LaMar's Donuts and Coffee, Ray LaMar on the Jay Leno show, retrieved 2018-12-21
  6. ^ "Ray LaMar on the Jay Leno show". www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ "LaMar's Donuts hosting Coffee with a Cop events". KMGH. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  8. ^ "9News: Salvation Army & LaMar's Donuts on National Donut Day | LaMar's Donuts". www.lamars.com. Retrieved 2019-01-04.