Pinkbox opening in Pahrump Nugget

An illuminated oversized doughnut already overlooks Highway 160, in a central area of Pahrump where passersby will see it on their way to Death Valley. Many local leaders in the valley are excited about the grand opening of popular chain Pinkbox Doughnuts beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday inside the Pahrump Nugget Hotel & Casino.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be festival-style with family activities that include balloon art, face painting, games and doughnut-eating contests set for adults and children. The winners of the contest will win a gift card to Pinkbox. Three customers who find a “pink ticket” in their doughnut will win free doughnuts for a year.

There will also be a raffle and a DJ and attendees will also receive a free custom T-shirt with any purchase while they last.

The addition to the casino is near a corner of the gaming floor that was turned pink with an oversized doughnut statue. Several are expected to attend the grand opening this weekend, including county officials and local leaders.

“We are excited to have Pinkbox Doughnuts join our growing fast foods that have recently included Chipotle, and Arby’s, along with Teriyaki Madness,” Nye County Commissioner Debra Strickland said.

Arlette Ledbetter, the town of Pahrump’s tourism director, already sees the potential it brings to the town.

“I think we are at a turning point,” Ledbetter said. “Tourism is doing really well and we’ll see more expansion.”

Tourism has seen a 7-percent increase in Pahrump, the director said. The numbers bounced up and down during and post-pandemic, unsure where it would land. Now that the trends have smoothed out, the numbers showed her that it was up.

A large part of tourism in Pahrump is from its close proximity to Death Valley. Many take short overnight trips to the national park and stay in Pahrump on their way to Las Vegas or elsewhere. Day-trippers often come to see the wineries. And right at the center of it all is the Pahrump Nugget Hotel & Casino with a giant doughnut sign to bring travelers in for a coffee and sweet treat.

Pinkbox, along with Chipotle, opened within the last six months, adding the major companies to the now growing town of Pahrump.

“We’re delighted to have [Pinkbox] and very happy to see an upward trajectory [in tourism],” Ledbetter said.

When the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce first started to get in touch with Pinkbox, she began to help the doughnut shop establish what they needed to thrive in the town. She was later “excited and thrilled” to know they were setting up shop.

“It was a long-awaited business here,” CEO of the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce Jenney Sartin said. “Happy to welcome them in the Pahrump Valley.”

The doughnut shop would also add employment opportunities for locals, according to Sartin. To her large business is “few and far between” whereas small communities like Pahrump are dependent on small businesses.

She does not believe that Pinkbox Doughnuts will have an impact on local small business bakeries as Pinkbox is a different niche. Sixty percent of businesses are considered small business in the town and the locals support their local businesses.

“I feel with the community slowly starting to grow, we have the ability to support both small businesses and large businesses,” Sartin said. “Several coffee shops and their environments attract different types of customers, Pinkbox only does doughnuts.”

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.