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If at first you don't succeed, you must be Krispy Kreme getting ready to try opening in the Boston area again
By adamg on Tue, 06/01/2021 - 4:00pm
Krispy Kreme, which seems to be popular south of Long Island Sound, is planning an IPO in part so it can try to get back into the Boston market, which it was forced to flee after initial enthusiasm here turned into a collective "meh" among the Dunk's-swilling populace.
In an SEC filing, in which it claims to be "one of the most beloved and well-known sweet treat brands in the world," the North Carolina-based chain says Boston and Minneapolis in particular are deprived of the rounded, glazed "indulgences" its "Krispy Kremers" create.
The company says its success building its "factories" in places such as the Philippines, South Africa, Guatemala and Saudi Arabia "demonstrates our ability to effectively penetrate a broad range of market types" - even the home turf of certain members of the Affleck family, not to mention Bucket guzzlers and Dew lovers.
The company, in fact, is predicting that, this time, it will successfully bring its "hub and spoke," and "omni-channel" might to bear here (as well as in what it considers the "underserved" burgs of New York and Chicago). In English, that means it's planning to build a series of "factory" outlets to make the donuts, which it will then sell through a variety of "channels," including both those factories and outlets such as supermarkets and gas stations.
The filing also says the money from hungry investors will help fuel expansion of the company's Insomnia Cookies, which currently offers late-night cookie delivery to BU students from an outlet on Commonwealth Avenue.
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Comments
In The Words Of Nancy Kerrigan...
Why?
They tried expansion in Maine only 3 years ago with stores in Auburn and Saco. Auburn is now a Chipotle. Saco is a going to be a Chase Bank.
I like donuts.
Kane's is better. Go there.
Give New England credit. We have repelled more national chains than the amount of times Serbs have tried to conquer Croatia.
Just remember, there was a Quizno's on every block 15 years ago. Do you see one today? Those of you with Maine knowledge know Tim Horton's got killed here. Word is Holey Donut is buying up those Haute Canadian Cuisine houses in Greater Portland.
Chickfilet still sucks up
Chickfilet still sucks up customers like a big vacuum in Dedham. And American Legion iin Roslindale is an ode to the fast food chain strips of the South with faithful regulars like myself. Stick a Krispy Kreme there and it will be complete with Popeyes, Taco Bell, Wendy's, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried, etc.
Or stick it up on VFW Parkway in West Roxbury
To go with the Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Popeyes, Taco Bell/Long John Silver, Burger King, liquor store and sex-toys shop.
But
It was just down the road a bit on Boston Providence Highway ... and failed ...
Oh, I guess, maybe closer to the other foods is better than near Best Buy.
KK
The first iteration of KK in Boston had a store in Dedham. (I worked for the franchiser)
Baskin-Robbins isn't too prevalent here, either
Similar reasons: the local places are far too awesome.
No reason to go corporate when going local brings such luscious rewards.
I don't ever order chain pizza, either. Why would I want that?
p.s. next time you are headed down from Maine, Holy Donuts has a shop in Scarborough and another in Auburn.
Baskin Robins is a Dunkin’ brand
But point taken, it’s not as popular here as elsewhere.
baskin robbins
I feel like there were more Baskin Robbins when I was younger, but they seem to have disappeared when they go taken over by Dunkins.
Either way, your point is valid. There are so many excellent ice cream places around, why would you go to a chain (except maybe for Friendlys. Their ice cream is OK)?
Kane is horrible, rather get
Kane is horrible, rather get donuts from a gas station
I agree
Kane's is not the same place the old man would bring donuts home from after he dropped off his cab to his dayman around the corner.
I was in that location yesterday and $4 for a donut? I'd rather drive to Donna's or even Heavenly.
Here we go again
I remember the last time Krispy Kreme tried to infiltrate the Boston area market. The hype was such that you'd think it was the second coming. People stood in long lines. Then it died off as fast as it started and Krispy Kreme slunk away, tail between legs. The plain truth is they stink. The donuts are small, sticky and overly sweet and the coffee is a little on the watery side. Unless they have improved their inferior product, I don't know what makes them think their second try will be any more successful than their first try.
Waaay too sweet
When they had the store in the Pru, I managed to get one pulled off the production line before it got the sugarsnot waterfall treatment. It was kind of okay, but just overly sweet fried dough.
Its gross. They are grease
Its gross. They are grease balls. They never change the oil (just strain & add to it). Each donut sucks up about 1TB of oil. Gross
Want to try something tasty over there? Go on Monday evenings when they make cake donuts. Ask for a pre-glazed chocolate glazed donut. Taste just like an oreo cookie. With glaze.. ew.
Too sugary
The consensus seemed to be that their product was just too sweet for New England tastes. You wonder if management learned that lesson and they're coming back with something more suitable or is it just the same old thing and they're hoping tastes have changed in the interim?
You know...
...it's the latter.
The rest of the country just doesn't get the appeal of the plain New England cake donut without a lot of added crap. Heathens.
Krispy Kreme here was a
Krispy Kreme here was a textbook example of "Once the novelty wore off..."
I recall people at work who lived within shouting distance of the original Wellington one getting up extra-early to be in line to be first to bring it to work- once they cooled off- literally and figuratively- they were just another donut
Paging Cybah
I believe he worked at that Wellington Location.
Their donuts were good when warm. Suck when sold later on at the airport.
yup
Cold donuts are nasty.
I was in London a few years ago in Picadilly Station and there was one there. So because I like to see if I still feel the same way about them. (grossed out) I order one.
I inspected the bottom of the donut and by the glaze that had designated, it had been sitting there all day.
Cold donuts are terrible, but once the glaze starts to break down, gross.
And yeah that was the issue with Krispy kreme. Once the novelty wore off, there was no reason to go anymore.
People dog Dunkin so much but Dunkin is constantly coming out with new products. A new coffee. A new sandwich. A new side item. Just something every so often to keep people coming back.
Krispy.. their menu hasn't changed since 1963. They don't even serve iced coffee (our store had to get permission to sell it since people asked so much for it)
To quote Brian Damico.. "Dunkin Donuts is our coffee place that also happens to serve donuts". Krispy is the opposite. They are a place that serves donuts but also happens to serve coffee".
We go to Dunks for the coffee, not the donuts. Opposite with Krispy. Unless you wanted a donut, you didn't go there.
The novelty wore off fast. This area would do well with one or two locations. Not 10.
Confession
I was sad to see them go, but only because the kidlet used to just love watching the donuts getting made at the Dedham one - our very own mini factory tour. We'd go to the Panera or Star Market across the street and, if the neon sign wasn't on before we got to them, chances are it'd be on after we were done and we'd head across the highway. And then they'd usually give her a free donut, so no need to actually buy anything.
It sounds like watching them being made is done
The hub & spoke model is for centralized kitchens to make them and then distributing them out from there.
Magoo sez
Is Magoo the only one from here that thinks Dunkin Donuts is gagamaggot? Which causes Magoo to think does gaggamaggot means it’s so gross a maggot would gag on it (in which case does a maggot know a maggot is gross) or it’s as gross as gagging on a maggot (which unarguably is very gross). Magoo.
Multiple Layers of Suck
My kids have worked for both Starbucks and Dunks.
Dunks is a shitty ass place to work, on top of their nasty "food", plastic "donuts" and their more-sugar-than-liquid drinks. The only thing I like there is the cold brew, which, in the words of my former overnighter at Wellington is "the only thing they sell that is so simple they can't fuck it up processing it".
Is it just my imagination...
... or (a false implanted memor) or did Dunkin Donuts used to be fairly decent?
They used to make fresh donuts right?
Not a bad regular glazed donut if it was warm in the morning......
They used to make fresh
They used to make fresh donuts. They had a whole TV ad campaign based around it.
I think Mr. Donut
used to make fresh donuts on site every four hours and fresh coffee every twenty minutes.
Mr. Donut
We've gotten some doughnuts from Mr. Donut in Japan. They were actually pretty good -- a lot of different things from what you would find here.
used to be
Like many things, Dunkin Donuts used to have better donuts...when they actually did make them on site ("time to make the donuts"). But now they're really all about the coffee...
Krispy Kreme is ok
I still rank it above Starbucks and below Dunkin.
The Donuts are pretty good but the coffee is so so.
The coffee was undrinkable
I loved the donuts, but what good is a donut without coffee?
Insomnia
Also delivers to Suffolk/Emerson from Bromfield St. as well as Harvard from a location in the KSSR.
Peace Street in Raleigh NC
That is the ONLY place to get a Krispy Kreme donut - hot off the assembly line after the bars close.
Any place north of the Mason Dixon line = NO!
I’m not sure it’s about quality
Dunks isn’t great, so I’ll assume that the reason why it couldn’t be toppled in the Boston market by some interloper is because there are about a billion and one locations in any two block radius downtown, and maybe only a billion locations in the same area as you head to the burbs. Again, Dunks isn’t great, but there’s obviously enough of a demand for it to sustain this number of stores.
If Adam’s translation of Krispy’s IPO docs is right, they learned that lesson and decided the way to go is not rely on dedicated stores to make a footprint but instead go the Entenmann’s route and just have some shelf space in a store. Probably for the best.
This is their business model
This is their business model.
What happens to the donuts that are not sold hot? Watch the line some time. There's someone at the end after the cooling tunnel boxing them up
They typically became
1) Fundraiser boxes
2) Donuts for supermarkets
The problem with #2 and the last time they came, is they just couldn't get into the supermarket market. The only store that had them was Shaw's... S&S is too embedded with Dunkin to opt for KK donuts in stores. Many gas stations such as Cumbys have their own brand.
Not much of a market here. Not sure why they seem to think it will work again.
No one will buy day old donuts at a gas station.
Spudnuts
I grew up eating Spudnuts. I can't stand Dunkin or Krispie.
http://spudnutshop.com/
The key is freshness
I was living in Brooklyn when Krispy Kreme came to Manhattan. The lines were astonishing. New York City went gaga for Krispy Kreme (my theory) not because they were good, but because they were the only fresh donuts in town. Before KK showed up, there were plenty of Dunks in Manhattan - pretty much every bodega had a box that was filled with donuts trucked in from New Jersey or somewhere. And then the Krispy Kremes started rolling off the line, and New Yorkers started to experience the difference between a fresh mediocre donut and a hours-to-days-old mediocre donut, and they loved it.
Some bright boy has sold KK on this hub-and-spoke nonsense, and it isn't going to work, and freshness (lack thereof) is why.
This is their business model
They were doing this long before NYC. Its apart of their business plan. Many store served as bakeries for donuts sold in store.s
It's probably time...
...for a roundup of the real donut places in the area.
I'm still mourning the loss of Ohlin's - is Linda's still there? Pretty basic but definitely very fresh.