Krispy Kreme Invades DC

[babka]

tonight's dinner started with dessert....a hot bubble of sugar wrapped around a gushing mouthful of air and oh but it was _good_!

anyone else give into the Krispy Kids today?

now, onto the stove with the corn.

[Mark Sommelier]

Someone on Chowhound reported that the line for the opening day started at 4PM the previous day. They opened at 5:30AM.

Edited August 25, 2004 by Mark Sommelier (log)

[mhberk]

Someone on Chowhound reported that the line for the opening day started at 4PM the previous day. They opened at 5:30AM.

That's how it was here in Columbia and opening day was during a bad snow storm

[babka]

I went around 6 in the evening. There was a line, though it was confined within the store, and it evaporated the instant a nice woman came out with a tray of hot doughnuts and handed them out. Communication was a little problematic, as we grabbed our handwarmers and then tried to pay two women at the front door. "They're free," they patiently explained, over and over again.

so I took my saved $1 and went to blow it at Olsson's, which I left $30 poorer. funny how a sugar rush helps rationalization along....

Edited August 25, 2004 by babka (log)

[Turtleboy]

Dirty little not so secret of the DC KK's:

They are not baked on premises, but in Virginia, and trucked in.

[liamdc]

Someone on Chowhound reported that the line for the opening day started at 4PM the previous day. They opened at 5:30AM.

I think I read in the Post that they were giving away free donuts for a year to the first customer in line the morning they opened. So what incentive was there for the second, third, fourth, etc. customers that helped to form the actual line? Other than the donuts, of course.

Before & After Photos of the Winning Customer

[DCMark]

Dirty little not so secret of the DC KK's:

They are not baked on premises, but in Virginia, and trucked in.

I am not surprised. I assume from the factory on Rt 1? Used to live near there before the sadly built a new one next door. The old place was a classic, with only a diner-type bar where you could eat with a view into the factory.

So how are these doughnuts 'hot' if they are trucked in?

[Joe H]

I don't understand the big deal about this. There's been a Krispy Kreme on Richmond Highway just south of Alexandria operating since the late 1940's. Two others (Baileys Cross Roads and Ga. & East West Highway in Silver Spring) went out of business long ago. They are also beginning to close around the country. For instance a Krispy Kreme opened on route 29 in Charlottesville about four or five years ago. Driving through there on Saturday it had gone out of business.

"Hot" donuts aside (which ARE great) the rest of Krispy Kreme is mediocre especially in comparison to other chains. They have one great gimmick which was popular HERE in the early '50's (yes, the early '50's) that people lost interest in then. Now, we're going through it again. I remember as a little kid my parents going to the KK in Silver Spring on Saturday nights for donuts because the Hot light went on around 9:00PM. This is after we went to Benny's on Maine Avenue for fish sandwiches (fresh perch breaded, fried and stacked four inches high with creamy cole slaw and hot sauce on Wonder bread) and french fries (fried in lard-yes, lard). Later years we drove to the first McDonald's in Hybla Valley (from Silver Spring-McDonald's had good food then and the best french fries anywhere).

Someone, sooner or late, will open a fast food hamburger stand that has the same food that McDonald's did in the late '50's and repeat that all over to. This is also why In 'n Out Burger does so well on the West Coast-it never changed.

Still, what IS the big deal about Krispy Kreme opening in D. C.? They never left the area?

[DCMark]

I don't understand the big deal about this. There's been a Krispy Kreme on Richmond Highway just south of Alexandria operating since the late 1940's. Two others (Baileys Cross Roads and Ga. & East West Highway in Silver Spring) went out of business long ago. They are also beginning to close around the country. For instance a Krispy Kreme opened on route 29 in Charlottesville about four or five years ago. Driving through there on Saturday it had gone out of business.

"Hot" donuts aside (which ARE great) the rest of Krispy Kreme is mediocre especially in comparison to other chains. They have one great gimmick which was popular HERE in the early '50's (yes, the early '50's) that people lost interest in then. Now, we're going through it again. I remember as a little kid my parents going to the KK in Silver Spring on Saturday nights for donuts because the Hot light went on around 9:00PM. This is after we went to Benny's on Maine Avenue for fish sandwiches (fresh perch breaded, fried and stacked four inches high with creamy cole slaw and hot sauce on Wonder bread) and french fries (fried in lard-yes, lard). Later years we drove to the first McDonald's in Hybla Valley (from Silver Spring-McDonald's had good food then and the best french fries anywhere).

Someone, sooner or late, will open a fast food hamburger stand that has the same food that McDonald's did in the late '50's and repeat that all over to. This is also why In 'n Out Burger does so well on the West Coast-it never changed.

Still, what IS the big deal about Krispy Kreme opening in D. C.? They never left the area?

Joe I am not sure where you live your your age demographic but people living in Dupont Circle are very unlikely to drive down Richmond Highway (Groveton is where the old KK is) not to mention even know where that is. Having a doughnut shop like that in Dupont will be a big deal for the locals in Dupont who may be from out of town and never heard of KK before.

I must disagree with out in the strongest terms about the quality of KK doughnuts. I think they are the absolute best doughnuts available and are so much better than the junk served at Dunkin'. Their glazed are a wonderous menagerie of sugar, air and pastry, while the 'Kreme' filling is such a refreshing take on the tired custard filling. Also, their coffee is better than most drip brew you get out there today.

KK has closed a bunch of underperforming retail locations this year due to their stock taking a hammering. A classic case of over-hype from Wall Street drove the stock way too high and encouraged too-fast growth from management. That, the Atkins craze, and a pending SEC investigation have taking the air out of KK's stock price.

[JennyUptown]

My dentist's office is in the same building so I marveled at the line at noon yesterday. It was out the door and up to the corner. Impressive!

I'm glad it's there as I enjoy the donuts when they're warm, but it's true that they are pretty readily available elsewhere.

[mhberk]

So what incentive was there for the second, third, fourth, etc.

I think every Krispy Kreme is different, but 2-5 usually get a dozen free every month for a year (as opposed to a dozen a week for the 1st person). 5-20 get a free dozen plus t-shirts (I think).

[Joe H]

I've been eating Krispy Kremes for 50 years (I'm 57.) Their hot glazed donut is incredible and I've never tired of it. But there are a half dozen chains around the country, especially in New England and Canada that I much prefer to Krispy Kreme. I'm not crazy about Dunkin either. The Canadian Tim Horton (BEFORE Wendy's was very good IN CANADA; since Wendy' bought them and they expanded into the States they have lost a lot). For the reason that there is an enormous short position in KK I doubt if the lines will last very long. Still, I was very surprised that the Charlottesville location closed. When it first opened there were long lines there, too but this was the start of the national craze.

[Tracy K.]

Wait a second, I thought that Krispy Kremes invaded DC during the Clinton administration...in his mouth....

[DCMark]

I've been eating Krispy Kremes for 50 years (I'm 57.) Their hot glazed donut is incredible and I've never tired of it. But there are a half dozen chains around the country, especially in New England and Canada that I much prefer to Krispy Kreme. I'm not crazy about Dunkin either. The Canadian Tim Horton (BEFORE Wendy's was very good IN CANADA; since Wendy' bought them and they expanded into the States they have lost a lot). For the reason that there is an enormous short position in KK I doubt if the lines will last very long. Still, I was very surprised that the Charlottesville location closed. When it first opened there were long lines there, too but this was the start of the national craze.

That shocked me too, about Charlottesville. It opened during my second go-around in Cville (Darden) and it seemed to be a no-brainer success.

Of course Charlottesville has a Spudnuts who speciality is a doughnut covered in ice cream. Now thats a good thing on a hung over AM!

[garnish]

I "discovered" Krispy Kremes at Penn Station in NY, but it wasn't until I had them hot in Richmond that I ...understood. Even though I have a car, I've never allowed myself to take the trip to Alexandria for a fix. My days of fighting would seem to be over...

The best (or is it the worst?) thing about this (for me) is that it is on my way home from the yoga studio on Saturday mornings...

of course, I guess I feel the same way about those parm-chive-truffle fries, especially with that photo, and they're just down the block...

[cjsadler]

Dirty little not so secret of the DC KK's:

They are not baked on premises, but in Virginia, and trucked in.

You sure? They have one of those doughnut machines in the Dupont store (I was walking by yesterday, but didn't go in).

Edit: I just saw the WP story. Apparently all the machine does is glaze the doughnuts-- they're baked elsewhere.

Edited August 25, 2004 by cjsadler (log)

[mojito]

Dirty little not so secret of the DC KK's:

They are not baked on premises, but in Virginia, and trucked in.

You sure? They have one of those doughnut machines in the Dupont store (I was walking by yesterday, but didn't go in).

In the Metro section of today's Post, there's a story about this store's opening. It says that, although the donuts are not baked on the premises, the hot glaze is applied there so that the donuts can be served hot.

[LittleWing]

Ok, i'll finally admit that i went (with one of your favorite bartenders no less) to the opening of kripsy kreme at 4:15 am. i only admit this to clear up some of your questions :

As far as the incentive for going to the opening, they said there would be prizes for the first 100 people. by going at 4:15, i though we'd be #1 and #2. Nope - #86 and #87! The first 25 people got a free dozen donuts a month for a year, and spiffy t-shirts. the next 75 people got a donut and tshirt. as for our "prizes" - the donut was cold, and not passed out in order of the line (therefore, everyone who was waiting for an hour for this incredible "prize" got donuts after the people who got there at 6 am). The tshirts were cheesy. I thought we'd at least be able to buy a proper donut and coffee, but no, the shop wasn't open yet. just cold donuts. some people got coffee but it wasn't passed out in any order either. oh, and there was also supposed to be "The Dancing Donuts". Nope nope nope. we got screwed. played like a fiddle. used. they didn't want to give us prizes, they wanted free publicity! what burden, my naivety....

the donuts ARE shipped from virginia, and glazed at the Dupont location, because the dupont store isn't big enough to make them there. (we asked the krispy kreme people)

As far as the "what's the big deal" factor - there are very few places to get a donut in dc proper. there's Universal Donut, right near Visions. There's Amernick, on thurs-sunday, but only limited hours. And there's Komi, and Tabard Inn on weekends for brunch, but you can't go in pajamas to grab a quickie from Komi or Tabard. (I did get them to go at Tabard once, but they're really for dining in.) So its exciting finally to have a donut shop, for all of those times you gets a craving.

Even if they're bussed in.

[Miguelito]

All this talk of "baking" in Virginia has me confused.

Are these puppies not deep fried???

What good is a donut that has not been bathed in hot, liquid fat???