On a roll: Krispy Kreme expands to Flint

Source: Flint Journal
The gooey-doughed, glazed goodies have arrived in several local Speedway gasoline stations, and the area should have at least one free-standing store by early next year.

"It seems like Flint is a dynamite spot to locate," said Joe Nachtrab, president of Dough-Re-Mi, Krispy Kreme's Michigan franchisee.

"We fully hope to nail down a site or two before the year is out, and have a grand opening early next year."

In the meantime, Speedway's convenience stores are installing kiosks for the sweet treats, which were created six decades ago in Winston-Salem, N.C., and became a fixture across the south.

So far, the kiosks are at four locations: 1001 S. Center Road in Burton; 1258 E. Bristol Road in Burton; 6526 Corunna Road in Flint Township; and 2456 W. Grand Blanc Road in Grand Blanc.

The chain started in 1937 and made its way 60 years later to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., with such artifacts as doughnut-making machines, old waitress uniforms and company newsletters.

This will be the first bite of the caloric confections for many local residents, unless they have lived elsewhere or tried them while traveling. The closest Krispy Kreme shops are in the Detroit area.

The doughnuts are shipped fresh daily to the stations from plants in Livonia and Warren. Still, company officials admit their trucked-in treats lack one key ingredient that sends many people in droves to Krispy Kreme shops: warmth.

"People will miss out on the hot doughnut - that's really our trademark, but it's only available at a retail store," said Michael Sharum, Dough-Re-Mi's director of wholesale operations. One longtime fan said second-best is good enough for now.

"They must be warm and fresh, but I'm willing to ... take it home and warm it up," said Shirley Johnson of Flint, an Alabama native who was a regular at Krispy Kreme while growing up.

"I can't hardly wait for a Krispy Kreme lemon-filled."

Johnson can't describe her devotion to the doughnut, but she has a hunch it has to do with how it feels - and how it makes her feel.

"I think it's just the texture," she said. "You know, when you grow up on something, that's what you think it should be."

Krispy Kreme officials said there are several reasons why it's taken so long to get to the Vehicle City, but Flintites shouldn't feel like they've been alone.

"It's been a small growth - we're really kind of a family-owned company," Sharum said. "We were in nine to 10 states for most of the company's history, then started branching out in the '90s."

That might account for the pent-up demand, said Tony Burdgick, manager of the Speedway on E. Bristol. The Speedway chain now has Krispy Kreme displays in about 600 of its locations, most installed in the past year.

"It's kind of a regional thing - it would be like getting Vernor's in Seattle," said Burdgick, whose store receives 20 dozen of the doughnuts a day and typically sells out.

"People just go crazy for them. When they hear, their eyes light up. When they see them, they salivate."

Johnson can vouch that these doughnuts can make people do strange things. "Instead of taking care of business, we were over there standing in line," she said. "We almost missed the printing shop."

She said her father would have understood.

"You have to realize, we hadn't had one in so long."
Source: Flint Journal