I’ve been getting emails from Krispy Kreme reminding me to come buy & eat some doughnuts. The only problem is that there aren’t any Krispy Kremes around where I can go buy said doughnuts. Much like Quiznos, they seem to have parted ways with our area. I decided to write to them and see what happened.
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012
Subject: So, what happened?
To: JBryant@krispykreme.com; hotlight@krispykreme.com; contact@krispykreme.com; lwatson@krispykreme.com; webmaster@krispykreme.com; jmorgan@krispykreme.com; friends@krispykreme.com; krispykreme@casupport.com
Greetings Doughnut Despots,
I’m writing to ask you what happened. Occasionally I get an email reminding me to visit a Krispy Kreme, and I think to myself “yeah, that’s a good idea.” Sadly, there are no Krispy Kremes around any more. I remember the stir of excitement when you first came to the area many years ago. I believe it was even a news story… “Pittsburgh is getting Krispy Kreme!” The fervor for hot fresh donuts was palpable. The neon sign beckoning me in for a visit worked on several occasions when I wasn’t even craving donuts. I’d generally come in to buy a Boston cream donut & an iced tea or chocolate milk… all because of that glowing invitation. I always loved the retro decor, the smell, and the ability to see the magical doughnut making process. You quickly dispatched with local competition. Dunkin Donuts most decidedly took a hit, and you wiped out some of the local weird places like Donut Connetcion and Mister Donut.
Then, you pulled out like an occupying force ordered home. There’s hardly a trace of Krispy Kreme left in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I’ve noticed a lot of area locations like Greensburg, Pleasant Hills, and Monroeville are now Chick-fil-A restaurants, and a still-empty Krispy Kreme building sits as a shell of sadness in Robinson Township. I remember the “remodeling / be back soon” sign hung for years before someone just gave up. I mean, I absolutely love all the full service Chick-fil-A locations, but I also like hot fresh donuts every once in a while. You used to be in several Sheetz locations, but now I think they mostly receive their donuts from somewhere else. Plus, they’re not exactly hot n’ fresh there.
Remaining on your email list has become simply receiving an occasional taunt for something I can’t have. Perhaps I should unsubscribe?
Dunkin Donuts seems to be making a rebound, and I must confess that I find their Boston cream (Boston creme?) offering to be a much fuller, larger, and more satisfying confectionery treat. But, they don’t lure me in with a hot fresh free delicious donut, and I can’t watch them being made. (Is it doughnut, or donut?) There’s also a killer “mom n’ pop” donut shop that’s a bit of a hike for me, but worth the trip… Big Daddy’s Donuts.
The truth is… I miss you, Krispy Kreme. Do you have plans to come back to the area with hot fresh goodness? Are you going to make me drive all the way to Washington county to get a doughnut & take a chance on the hot light being on? Why did all of the area locations shut down? Were you muscled out by local donut barons? Did too many yinzers line up for free doughnuts and not actually buy anything? Did Sheetz want too much too soon? Did people go on diets or realize that too many donuts are a bad thing? Was you plan all along to wipe out local donut shops and leave the area starved of donuts because of the high geographical rate of diabetes, thus ensuring better health for the population of the Pittsburgh area? I need (and feel that I deserve) some answers, my friends. What happened? Please don’t brush me off with the standard, “it’s not you, it’s us.” I need some concrete reasons.
Thank you for your time, I hope you’re doing well. I’m sure you’re as hot n’ fresh as always… just not for me.
Hungrily Yours,
-Waldo Lunar
I also had a Twitter exchange of sorts, but it was all DM’s on their end…
https://twitter.com/#!/W_a_L_D/status/169099779022921729
https://twitter.com/#!/W_a_L_D/status/169100223275208704
They said:
@krispykreme | Please send us your email address and we’ll contact you.
https://twitter.com/#!/W_a_L_D/status/169127252334878722
They said:
@krispykreme | Thanks again for passing along your email address. You can also email us hotlight@krispykreme.com.
Then I DM’ed
@W_a_L_D | Thank you! Rock n’ roll! Looking forward to a reply.
And tweeted…
https://twitter.com/#!/W_a_L_D/status/169135815472070656
Heh.
Eventually, I received an emailed reply…
From: <krispykreme@casupport.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012
Subject: Case #1099627
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Lunar,
Thank you for your email regarding wanting a Krispy Kreme in the southwestern Pennsylvania area. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We, here at Krispy Kreme, always love to hear from our customers and it is great to hear that you enjoy our products! We would like to take this time to thank you for taking the time to share your comments.
There are many reasons why stores close. Generally speaking, the franchisee decides to pursue other business ventures. We have shared your concerns and requests with our operations department for review.
Please be assured that we are working hard to open new stores and continue expanding throughout the United States and Canada. For your convenience, new store locations and details are also available on our website at www.KrispyKreme.com. The site is regularly updated with information as soon as it becomes available.
Best regards,
Lyndon Palmer
Krispy Kreme Customer Experience
www.krispykreme.com
Doughnuts or Donuts?
I’m still left wondering if “Donut” is a bastardization, like “Late Nite” instead of “Late Night” or “Drive-Thru” instead of “Drive-Through. If so, why spell doughnut correctly while blatantly (and borderline offensively) misspelling Crispy and Cream with K’s? (I mean, add one more K in there…) While we’re at it, is it Creme or Cream? Are they the same, or different things? And, isn’t the filling just pudding or is it custard?
They declined to comment on the wiping out & eventual rebound of their spelling-handicapped competition. Perhaps a classy move. Dunkin’ Donuts never replied to that tweet, either.
You know you want some doughnuts. Come get them. Eat the free one, then buy some more. It's hot, well... warm, and fresh... and you can see some being made. Man, you're hungry for doughnuts.
I don’t believe that Franchisees simply chose to “pursue other business ventures.” You don’t quit if you’re making money. You don’t all dry up if there is demand for your product and you’re selling it at a reasonable price. I find it funny (odd funny not “ha ha” funny) that a lot of the old Krispy Kreme buildings became Chick-fil-A’s.
In fact, I’m not sure if they answered any of my questions directly. Should I perhaps write back?
Also, tell me in the comments where you get your donuts! Am I missing some great local shops? Who has the best donuts? What’s your favorite donut? Is it “donut” or “doughnut”? Let’s talk all things do(ugh)nuts in the comments!
World (and Lunar) Domination 
