Verne Hedges Winchell (October 30, 1915 – November 26, 2002) was the founder of

Winchell's Donuts Winchell's Donuts House is an international doughnut company and coffeehouse chain founded by Verne Winchell on October 8, 1948, in Temple City, California. Currently, there are over 170 stores in 6 western states, as well as Guam, Saipan, a ...

and also served as a chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the

Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a Diner, coffee shop un ...

restaurant chain.

Early life

Winchell was born on October 30, 1915, in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

. At the age of 9, Winchell and his family moved to California. Winchell graduated from Alhambra High School and later took business courses at

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...

, where he decided on a business career.

Career

In 1948 he opened his first

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franc ...

shop in

Temple City, California Temple City, officially the City of Temple City, is a city in Los Angeles County, California located northeast of downtown Los Angeles and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Pasadena ...

and earned the nickname "The Donut King". Winchell's Donuts merged with Denny's Incorporated in 1967. Winchell served as chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of Denny's until 1980.

Thoroughbred breeder

Winchell was also a successful

horse breeder Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

and owner. Today his son, Ron Winchell oversees racing stable and breeding operation known as Winchell Thoroughbreds which is located at Corinthia Farm near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. The Winchells were co-owners of 2017

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

Gun Runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ar ...

. The Winchells won the 2014

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...

and

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

with their homebred US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

Untapable Untapable (foaled 13 February 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013 when she won two of her four races including the Pocahontas Stakes and was placed in the Starlet Stakes. In 2014 she emerge ...

, the 2012

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American t ...

with Tapizar, and 2005

with Summerly.

Death

Winchell died of a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, on November 26, 2002, at the age of 87, at

Summerlin Hospital The Summerlin Hospital Medical Center is a private, for-profit hospital owned by Universal Health Services and operated by the Valley Health System. It is located in the Summerlin neighborhood of Las Vegas, Nevada. As of 2018, the Summerlin Hospi ...

. Winchell had been a resident of Las Vegas for 30 years.

Legacy

Ron Winchell, Verne Winchell's son, began a chain of restaurants in the Las Vegas area named "Winchell's Pub and Grill". The first restaurant opened in south Las Vegas in 2000. Ron Winchell later expanded the chain by opening two more restaurants in 2003, one in south Las Vegas and one in

North Las Vegas North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 216,961, with an estimated population of 251,974 in 2019. The city was incorporated on May 1, 19 ...

. On July 18, 2008, Ron Winchell opened another restaurant in North Las Vegas and planned to open two more restaurants within a few months. In 2019, Ron Winchell partnered with Marc Falcone through their company Kentucky Racing Association and purchased

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—its su ...

References

External links

Monterey County Herald , 29 November 2002 , Doughnut mogul Winchell dies at 87

Racing profile of Verne H. Winchell at The Bloodhorse.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winchell, Verne 1915 births 2002 deaths American food company founders American racehorse owners and breeders People from San Marino, California 20th-century American businesspeople People from Bloomington, Illinois Businesspeople from California Businesspeople from Illinois Pasadena City College alumni