Krispy Kreme Donuts
Published July 21, 2019
Saturday was the busiest day of my trip to Georgia. The early 4th of July celebration featuring Lady Antebellum was happening at night. Kathryn and I didn't have a schedule set for the day, but we both decided that pedicures were a good start.
After a late breakfast, we made our way through the hazy Georgia heat to the busy mall and outlet area. Kathryn recommended the nail salon — a clean white space with plants and sparkly chandeliers.
We spent a while relaxing in the massage chairs. HGTV’s Fixer Upper played throughout the space. Husbands joined their wives for a pedicure. The waiting area filled with children picking colors. It was a nice few hours spent on self-care.
Post-Pedicure Shopping
Since we were in the major shopping area, we stopped in Bath and Body Works. They were having a 75% off sale. I love their three-wick candles, so I enjoyed showing Kathryn all my favorite scents. Too bad I was flying home, otherwise I would’ve added to my stockpile.
It was around 2:00 pm when we got back in the car with our purchases.
“Are you hungry?”
I could always eat. “What do you think? Snacks? Coffee?”
“Maybe something light. We can cook tonight before the concert and buy snacks there, rather than have a whole meal.” We needed tokens for the concert/fair. Though there were food vendors, we assumed the prices and lines would be crazy.
“Snacks are fine — what’s around?” There were many chain-style restaurants. I looked for a Starbucks, since they sold banana bread and other snack items.
“How about Krispy Kreme donuts?”
“Get out,” I adored donuts. I only had Krispy Kreme’s twice in my life, and only while visiting my aunt in Florida. I had no idea they were an option in Georgia. “Let’s do that.”
The History of Krispy Kreme Donuts
As seen on their website, Krispy Kreme was founded July 13, 1937 by Vernon Rudolph. In the 1950s, Rudolph standardized the donut recipe and automated the cooking process to create a small chain of stores.
By the 1970s, the Krispy Kreme stores developed a brand and was sold to Beatrice Foods Company. After franchising, Krispy Kreme's expanded across the country and focused on delivering hot donuts.
In 1997, Krispy Kreme was officially recognized as, "The 20th century American icon." Today, Krispy Kreme stores are available around the world.
Georgia’s Krispy Kreme Donuts
If you’re from New Jersey, there’s been a few Krispy Kreme stores — the newest one opening in 2017 in Jersey City (which I haven’t been to). I didn’t know much about Krispy Kreme donuts or its history, outside of the warm dozen I would get with my aunt on the way home from the Jacksonville Airport.
Which is why I was doubly surprised when Kathryn asked, “Should we go inside or the drive-thru?”
Drive-thru donuts?!
“How do you not go here every day?” I wanted to see the inside of the store, so we parked directly in front of the entrance.
Even though I hadn’t been in-person to the store, I knew the branding and logo well.
Inside the Krispy Kreme Store
When I stepped through the front doors, I first saw the kitchen with the donuts.
In the far back corner was the stacks of round dough. I followed the length of the room, looking through the large glass window. A conveyor belt system went down the room — presumably to fry and glaze the donuts.
A curve to the left brought us to the front counter. The donut case in front was stacked with the bright icings and donuts.
Another case full of drinks and juices was to the right. After the cash register was a counter for Krispy Kreme coffee, which I never heard of before.
We stood in front of the counter, looking at the donut box options. There were Munchkin-style donut holes pre-made in boxes and plastic cups.
“We should probably get half-a-dozen,” I recommended. I knew I could eat two, and maybe Kathryn would eat two, and we should probably bring some back home for her husband to try. It was a better price than for each of us to pick one donut.
“Okay, let’s do that.”
We moved to the left to read the tags on the donut case. It was overwhelming. I had only ever ordered the original glazed donuts. I didn’t know that Krispy Kreme offered icing and donuts filled with flavors.
“Which one do you want?” Kathryn asked.
“Honestly, I would do a classic,” I pointed to the glazed donut, “And maybe a filled classic, since you’ve recommended them.”
“I guess I’ll do a classic and a filled one, too.”
We finally got the attention of the young woman behind the counter. We pointed to the different trays and asked her for each. She did not seem happy nor friendly, which made the experience of ordering a little awkward.
She rang up the half-dozen. It came to $8, which I thought was amazing. By the time we finished, another group of people were reading the coffee menu, while others browsed the donut case.
We went to the farthest wall and grabbed a handful of napkins. Heading back towards the glass windows of the kitchen, I realized I missed the eat-in dining room on my left. It was the Krispy Kreme cream and evergreen colors. Plastic-y booth seating and standard metal chairs filled the room.
Kathryn noticed me looking at the dining room. “Did you want to eat here?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Maybe if we had a coffee and wanted to sit and chat, I would’ve watched the donuts in the kitchen. But we were popping by for a snack — we didn’t need to sit in at a table to eat donuts.
Krispy Kreme Donuts | $8.00
I held the box on my lap as we got into the car. We cranked up the AC and waited for the car to cool.
“Should we have one now?”
“Of course!”
My donut was the full one in the top left corner. I could tell the minute that I lifted it out of the box (with my fingers indenting the sugared outside) — that they were going to be delicious.
Kathryn’s donut was also filled, even though it was the classic donut shape.
I loved the filling. It reminded me of buttercream icing. The filling was fluffy and didn’t have an overly sweet taste, as some donut fillings do. This one was vanilla.
The donut itself was up to the Krispy Kreme standards. Some say that Krispy Kreme got its name from the crispy glazed outside and soft donut inside. Whatever the case, the donut was perfect. I could’ve eaten the entire box myself, they’re that addicting.
In case you’re wondering, Krispy Kreme donuts — according to the official website — last 1-2 days. However, if you pop a donut in the microwave for 30 seconds and eat it right away, it will be just as soft and delicious as when you first bought them.
We closed our box before we thought too long about having three each. After twenty-minutes of driving, we popped by the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner before heading home.
My Recommendations
I would give the Columbus, Georgia Krispy Kreme store an 8/10 for the following:
Decor and Design
The Krispy Kreme store’s design was on-brand with the vintage colors. I personally wouldn’t think of visiting a Krispy Kreme store to “hang out.” As a foodie, I appreciated the focus on the hot donuts. Letting the customer see into the kitchen and watch the donut production is great product transparency and fun when visiting.
Service
I didn’t give Krispy Kreme a 10/10 because their service (for the one employee at this store) was not very good. Granted, everyone has bad days, but considering this was my first visit to an actual store — plus we didn’t know the donut options — a better trained, friendlier employee would’ve influenced our purchasing decisions and my recommendation.
Food
Donut. Perfection. These Krispy Kreme Donuts were even better than I remembered. I love that Krispy Kreme is updating their menu to include new flavors and fillings.
I plan on visiting the Jersey City, New Jersey Krispy Kreme location, to compare their service and product to this location.
Next Up | Antiques and Farmer’s Markets
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