It’s a bird …. it’s a plane … no! it’s a giant snack on top of a building!
What used to the Big Donut Drive In, is now the Bellflower Bagel.
The Big Donut Drive In was a chain of donut stores owned by donut machine maker Russell C Wendell in the 1950’s.
He and architect Henry J Goodwin designed the adorable mid-century stores with giant donuts made of steel, sprayed with gunite (a mixture of cement, water, and sand) on top of them.
At its height, in the 1950’s, there were at least 8 Big Donut Drive Ins dotted across Los Angeles. Now, only a few remain, all with unique owners, including Randy’s Donuts, Kindles Donuts, and the Bellflower Bagel.
We wanted the full bagel experience, so patronized the drive thru window, and ordered a dozen bagels (13 came out with enough cream cheese to sink a ship — i think I still have 7 or 8 in the freezer at home!)
Jalapeno bagel for the win!
I know we look grumpy in this photo, but the sun was in our eyes - and we were full of too many bagels.
We actually heart the bellflower bagel.
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Southern California #25 last visited August 14th 2021