Owner of Take Away Donuts eyes return

Donut – and king cake and kolache – lovers may have a reason to celebrate this year.

Rajnish “Raj” Jain, the man who has owned and operated Take Away Donuts for years, says he is actively searching for a new space for his beloved restaurant to return to after Hurricane Ida destroyed the building it was housed in for decades.

“Over the years I actually tried to buy the building several times, but it never worked out,” Jain said.

After the hurricane in 2021, Jain said he looked at different land options to buy and build a brand-new building for his shop. Land price, planning and zoning regulations, and building costs all made him realize renting a new space is the best option for him.

“Plus” he said laughing. “I’m 64.”

Jain said he has found several spaces that would work for the restaurant, but that personal health concerns sidelined progress for a while.

“I’m still upbeat,” he said. “Everyone asks me if I’m coming back and I tell them yes, but my time is running out.”

Ideally Jain said he would have a new operation ready to open for the fall, as summer was always a slow time for the business.

“Retirement is very boring … I guess I could take up golf,” he said laughing. “But I should be good health wise, and there is a place I have in mind. I’ve lived my whole life in Luling, and the shop was such a social place to gather. At this point I am bored … that’s the thing … so is my wife.”

Jain said he is proud of the business his family built in the St. Charles Parish community.

“We never closed a day for COVID,” he said. “I knew that if I were to go home, I might just retire. We are really itching to open back up.”

Jain said his business not only survived – but thrived – when other donut competitors came into town over the decades.

“Tastee Donuts opened in ’87 and it was one of Louisiana’s best franchises at the time,” he said. “Other places opened and then closed too. They made a lot of noise, but I only lost about three percent of business. I had planned some things for the competition, but I didn’t have to do anything.”

Jain said the local community has been crucial to Take Away’s success.

“The community has really supported me over the years,” he said. “I’ve been blessed. If I had a customer, I never lost them … well maybe unless they moved or went on a diet.”