LaMar's Donuts

LaMar's Donuts is an American doughnut and coffee chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The business developed from Raymond Lamar's early doughnut-making work: he began making doughnuts from scratch in 1933 at the age of 17. The chain's origin story centers on a first shop established in a converted gas station in Kansas City. According to the brand's historical account, customers began forming lines before dawn, and the original location eventually sold more than 11,000 doughnuts in a day. LaMar's has remained in continuous operation since its early Kansas City period. The brand is built around fresh doughnuts, coffee, and a small restaurant format rather than a broad full-service menu. Its doughnut range includes Ray's Original Glazed Doughnuts, cake doughnuts, doughnut holes, LaMar's Bars, Bizmarks, and sour-cream doughnuts. Coffee is an important companion category: the company roasts its beans in Denver and distributes them to its stores, where customers can order brewed coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, iced espresso drinks, and blended espresso beverages. The chain also offers fruit-based blended drinks marketed as La Frappés. During the 1990s, Raymond and Shannon Lamar expanded the business through franchising. This shifted LaMar's from a primarily local Kansas City operation into a regional chain. The available reference material describes 21 stores across Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Store counts and geographic coverage can change, but the chain's identity remains strongly associated with the central United States and with the Kansas City and Denver markets. LaMar's has received recurring local and regional recognition in newspaper and magazine reader polls and food rankings. Its products have also received attention from national media, including references in The New Yorker, Food Network coverage, Zagat-related listings, and commentary by NBC's Jay Leno, who called Raymond Lamar the "King of Donuts." These appearances helped position the company as a distinctive regional doughnut specialist rather than merely a generic coffee-and-doughnut outlet. The company has also used community events and charitable activity as part of its public presence. It has participated in Denver's Whiskey and Donuts Festival, worked with local police on National Coffee with a Cop Day activities, and partnered with The Salvation Army since 2009. During National Donut Day initiatives, LaMar's has donated proceeds to Salvation Army youth services and used the occasion to explain the organization's community programs. In 2017, the chain attracted additional attention by arranging what it described as the first doughnut-store drone deliveries, sending National Donut Day orders to Denver's mayor, police, firefighters, and other community recipients. The event generated local and national media coverage. LaMar's is therefore best understood as an active regional restaurant brand whose competitive proposition rests on handmade doughnuts, a long Kansas City heritage, Denver-roasted coffee, franchised expansion, and visible community participation. The available material does not establish a public listing, a parent conglomerate, or a current corporate executive roster.

LaMar's Donuts traces its origins to Raymond Lamar, who began making doughnuts from scratch in 1933 when he was 17. The available historical account presents this early work as the foundation of a business that would become one of the better-known regional doughnut chains in the central United States. Lamar's emphasis was on handmade production rather than an industrially standardized concept. The first LaMar's shop opened in a converted gas station in Kansas City, Missouri. The location quickly developed a strong following. Customers reportedly began lining up before 6 a.m., and the shop's daily volume eventually exceeded 11,000 doughnuts. This origin story has remained central to the brand's identity, connecting LaMar's with early-morning service, high-volume doughnut production, and Kansas City roots. The business is described as having operated continuously since that period. LaMar's later expanded beyond its original market. In the 1990s, Ray and Shannon Lamar introduced franchising opportunities, allowing the brand to grow through independently operated or franchised locations rather than relying only on company-owned expansion. The resulting chain developed a presence in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Denver became the headquarters and also an important operating center for the brand's coffee program. The reference material identifies approximately 21 stores across those four states, although a current store count is not independently established here. The company's offer broadened from its core doughnut assortment into a doughnut-and-coffee restaurant format. Signature products include Ray's Original Glazed Doughnuts, cake doughnuts, doughnut holes, LaMar's Bars, Bizmarks, and sour-cream doughnuts. LaMar's also sells brewed coffee and espresso-based drinks such as cappuccinos, lattes, iced espresso beverages, and blended espresso drinks. Its coffee beans are roasted in Denver and shipped to the stores. Fruit-based blended beverages, marketed as La Frappés, provide a non-coffee option within the beverage menu. Public recognition has been an important part of the chain's regional profile. LaMar's doughnuts have appeared in national media discussions and food coverage associated with NBC's Jay Leno, The New Yorker, Food Network, and the Zagat Survey. The brand and its shops have also appeared in local and regional reader polls and food rankings, including recognition connected with Kansas City, Colorado, Omaha, Missouri, Kansas, and Denver. These awards and reviews reinforced the company's image as a specialist doughnut maker with a strong local following. Community engagement became another recurring strand of the company's activity. LaMar's has participated in Denver's Whiskey and Donuts Festival and has worked with police departments on National Coffee with a Cop Day events. Its Salvation Army relationship, described as beginning in 2009, links National Donut Day sales and donations with youth services. The partnership also gives the company an opportunity to explain the charity's programs and encourage public support. In 2017, LaMar's created a high-profile National Donut Day activation by delivering doughnuts via air drone to recipients around Denver, including civic officials, police, firefighters, and members of the community. The stunt was reported by several Denver television stations and by national outlets. It demonstrated the brand's willingness to use novelty and technology in marketing while retaining doughnuts and local relationships as the central theme. LaMar's remains an active regional chain. The available references do not provide a verified founding date for the first retail shop, a current owner or parent company, a public-company status, or a complete list of current and former executives. Its documented history is consequently strongest on its founder, Kansas City origins, 1990s franchising, product range, regional growth, media recognition, and community campaigns.

• 2017

  Drone delivery National Donut Day activation

  [1]LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org

  The chain arranged doughnut deliveries by air drone around Denver, generating local and national media attention.

• 2009

  Salvation Army partnership begins

  [1]LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org

  LaMar's began participating in a continuing National Donut Day partnership with The Salvation Army to support youth services.

• 1990

  Franchising begins in the 1990s

  [1]LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org

  Ray and Shannon Lamar introduced franchising opportunities, supporting the brand's expansion beyond its original Kansas City base.

• 1933

  Raymond Lamar begins making doughnuts

  [1]LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org

  At age 17, Raymond Lamar began making handmade doughnuts from scratch, establishing the craft tradition associated with the later chain.

• First LaMar's shop opens in Kansas City

  [1]LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org

  The first shop opened in a converted gas station in Kansas City, Missouri, where early demand reportedly produced lines before dawn and daily sales exceeding 11,000 doughnuts.

A regional American doughnut-and-coffee chain emphasizing handmade products, Kansas City heritage, fresh preparation, specialty doughnuts, and community involvement.

• Doughnuts

  Ray's Original Glazed Doughnuts

  A signature glazed doughnut associated with founder Raymond Lamar and the chain's core handmade doughnut tradition. It represents LaMar's most recognizable classic offering and anchors the brand's emphasis on freshly prepared, traditional doughnuts.

• Doughnuts

  Cake Doughnuts

  A category of denser, cake-style doughnuts offered alongside LaMar's yeast-based and specialty varieties. The reference material identifies cake doughnuts as part of the chain's standard assortment, but does not specify individual flavors or a complete current menu.

• Specialty doughnuts

  LaMar's Bars

  A branded specialty doughnut line identified as one of LaMar's notable offerings. The available source names the product but does not provide a verified ingredient list, shape specification, or launch date.

• Filled doughnuts

  Bizmarks

  A LaMar's specialty doughnut offering listed among the chain's distinctive products. The available reference identifies the name but does not establish its precise filling, formulation, or product launch history.

• Doughnuts

  Sour-cream doughnuts

  A sour-cream-based doughnut variety included in LaMar's assortment. It contributes a differentiated flavor profile within the brand's broader selection of classic and specialty doughnuts.

• Doughnuts

  Doughnut holes

  Bite-sized doughnut products offered as part of LaMar's standard range. They provide a smaller-format option suitable for sharing or pairing with the chain's coffee beverages.

• Coffee

  LaMar's Coffee

  LaMar's roasts its coffee beans in Denver and ships them to its stores. The beverage program includes brewed coffee as well as espresso-based drinks, making coffee a core companion category to the doughnut menu.

• Beverages

  Espresso beverages

  The chain's espresso range includes cappuccinos, lattes, iced espresso-based beverages, and blended espresso drinks. These offerings extend LaMar's beyond a traditional doughnut counter and support its positioning as a doughnut-and-coffee restaurant.

• Blended beverages

  La Frappés

  A line of blended fruit smoothies offered as a non-coffee beverage option. The source describes La Frappés as fruit-based blended drinks but does not specify the full flavor range or formulation.

• 2017National Donut Day drone deliveries

  Denver

  LaMar's used air drones to deliver doughnuts around Denver to the mayor, police, firefighters, and community members. The activation was presented as a first for a doughnut store and attracted broad media coverage.

  Outcome. The event generated coverage from four Denver television stations and national outlets including ABC News and Mashable.

  Source
• 2009National Donut Day and Salvation Army partnership

  United States · Colorado · Kansas City region

  LaMar's has worked with The Salvation Army since 2009, donating proceeds from the week of National Donut Day to youth services and informing customers about the charity's programs.

  Outcome. The partnership became a recurring community program associated with National Donut Day.

  Source
• Whiskey and Donuts Festival participation

  Denver

  LaMar's has participated in Denver's annual Whiskey and Donuts Festival, pairing its core doughnut identity with a local food-and-beverage event.

  Source
• National Coffee with a Cop Day activities

  United States

  The chain has worked with local police officers to sponsor events connected with National Coffee with a Cop Day.

  Source

• 2017

  Use drone delivery as a National Donut Day activationOther

  Background

  LaMar's sought a distinctive public-relations activity for National Donut Day that connected the brand with Denver institutions and community members.

  Action taken

  The company arranged drone drops of doughnuts to civic and community recipients around Denver.

  Aftermath

  The activation received local television and national online media coverage.

  Source

• 1990

  Adopt franchising as an expansion strategyStrategy

  Background

  After operating from its Kansas City roots, Ray and Shannon Lamar sought to extend the brand into additional markets during the 1990s.

  Action taken

  LaMar's introduced franchising opportunities, enabling regional expansion through a broader store network.

  Aftermath

  The brand developed a presence in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, with the available reference describing approximately 21 stores.

  Source

• 2021-10-04

  LaMar's Donuts announces planned price increases[2]LaMar's Donuts宣布计划提高价格foxbusiness.com

  Reported: 2021-10-04

  LaMar's Donuts said it would raise prices by at least 20% across its locations. The company said the planned increase would support higher employee pay and cover increased costs; the article reports the announcement, not that the increases had taken effect.

1. 1LaMar's Donutsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2LaMar's Donuts宣布计划提高价格foxbusiness.com