Five years ago, all hope seemed lost for the return of our favorite breakfast staple and Tucson mourned the loss of a classically-glazed friend.
Five stores have opened and closed, since 2002, in the area, forcing residents to make the two-hour drive to Phoenix for America’s favorite donut. But not any longer.
With the opening of Krispy Kreme on April 26, 2016, the people of Tucson will be excited to once again have the convenience of the well-known donut shop just minutes away on 5621 E. Broadway.
There are currently eight other Krispy Kreme stores in the Phoenix area and there used to be three were opened in Tucson in 2009, but all of them closed in 2011.
Krispy Kreme first opened its doors in 1937 and though it has had trouble keeping stores open, its popularity amongst teens and young adults is astounding.
Photo courtesy of Krispy Kreme
University of Arizona students are especially excited for the opening since many of them have grown up with a Krispy Kreme and miss having them during the nine months they’re at school.
Brit Reid, 20, from Phoenix, is a student at the University of Arizona who has admittedly taken trips home just to get a dozen donuts.
“I’m honestly just nervous,” Reid laughed. “I feel like we’re going to go all the time which is not healthy.”
Reid is not the only student who has made the drive to Phoenix for Krispy Kreme. However, University of Arizona student Lindsay Logsdon from Orange County, also admits to craving the donuts badly enough to drive to Phoenix.
“They taste so good,” Logsdon said. “Especially when they’re warm and fresh.”
Photo courtesy of newhealthadvisor.com
A survey was conducted using Surveymonkey.com and the respondents, students at the university, were asked if they were excited or didn’t care about the opening, the reason why and if they’d ever driven to Phoenix for Krispy Kreme.
Of the eighty-eight students who completed the survey, 25 percent admitted that they’d driven to Phoenix solely to get Krispy Kreme. On average, 75 percent of respondents claimed to be “very excited” for the opening, 11 percent said they’re “excited,” four percent responded “just average” and nine percent “don’t care.”
As for their reasoning, here are the comments respondents made:
- “I am very excited for Krispy Kreme because it brings me pure joy and happiness,” Ari Haghighi said.
- “I AM EXCITED BECAUSE KRISPY KREME HAS THE BEST DONUTS EVER. THEY MELT IN YOUR MOUTH AND MAKE YOUR HEART SMILE,” Dempsey Dandos said.
- “They have some of the best donuts and I used to get them when I was little,” Kristin Chandler said.
- “KRISPY KREME IS MY EVERYTHING,” Abby Williams said.
- “I’m ‘just average’ because now I’m worried about getting fat,” Courtney Nash said.
This new store is set to hire up to 150 new employees, including supervisors and store managers. We’re coming in on a one-month countdown for Krispy Kreme, which is just in time for finals.