Center City's Krispy Kreme to close
Last day is Sunday.
Center City's Krispy Kreme to close
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Krispy Kreme's neon on 16th Street. (Michael Klein / philly.com)
Sunday, Dec. 30 is the finale for the Center City location of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which opened only in spring 2011.
Franchisee Brian Zaslow says the location, on 16th Street just north of Chestnut, was "nontraditional. ... It didn't work." He emphasized that this decision had no impact on his franchise group's growth. Back in July, the blog NakedPhilly noted that KK's space was available for sublease, but Zaslow told me at the time not to read into that listing. (This was a full two months before Federal Donuts opened nearby.)
The forthcoming KK location in Manoa Shopping Center in Havertown will use 16th Street's equipment, he said, positioning Center City's closure as a relocation.
Meanwhile, the franchise is selling doughnuts - baked that morning - in Brown's ShopRite supermarkets.
Comments (33)
fat tony knows donuts.KK really did not live up to the hype.— fat tony- KK is delicious and I had many growing up (grew up in NC) but I simply can't justify eating them anymore. When this one opened, I was excited and my wife and I went and had one - enjoyed it very much, then we both felt sick afterward and never returned. They are fine for people who drink soda all the time and stuff but they are a real shock to our systems now.— hooded_crow
- Mark1's post sounds like the memoir of a diabetic awaiting pancreas transplantation. Holy enthusiasm, Batman! KK doughnuts are good, but not transcendent.
Every time one of them opens around here, they shut down shortly thereafter. I think the media over-sells KK, like anybody who dines there can expect a religious doughnut experience. Absolutely nothing to differentiate KK from any other fresh doughtnuts from a local bakery (remember those?). Over-rated can't begin to describe it.— So_many_haters - I agree Mark1npt Dunkin Donuts SUXX. Suzy Jo's is much better. Also try a local shop in Ardmore Viking Pastries....LUV EM.— mbutley
- I agree Mark1npt Dunkin Donuts SUXX. Suzy Jo's is much better. Also try a local shop in Ardmore Viking Pastries....LUV EM.— mbutley
- I agree Mark1npt Dunkin Donuts SUXX. Suzy Jo's is much better. Also try a local shop in Ardmore Viking Pastries....LUV EM.— mbutley
- Donuts fried in LARD! How could they possibly fail? I wonder... I used to drive to De. from Germantown just to get fresh hot KK doughnuts, but the sugar overload would make me sick. I stopped eating them and haven't looked back...— Getinline
- Donuts fried in LARD! How could they possibly fail? I wonder... I used to drive to De. from Germantown just to get fresh hot KK doughnuts, but the sugar overload would make me sick. I stopped eating them and haven't looked back...— Getinline
- Donuts fried in LARD! How could they possibly fail? I wonder... I used to drive to De. from Germantown just to get fresh hot KK doughnuts, but the sugar overload would make me sick. I stopped eating them and haven't looked back...— Getinline
- Donuts fried in LARD! How could they possibly fail? I wonder... I used to drive to De. from Germantown just to get fresh hot KK doughnuts, but the sugar overload would make me sick. I stopped eating them and haven't looked back...— Getinline
- masterncommander...what country are living in? america? health nuts?— yourmomsfavoriteposter
- Just a matter of time before they close all the stores. The problem here isn't the product as much as the ownership. The parent company is very weak domestically. Their retail stores don't make any money. What keeps the company afloat is wholesale business and mostly its international franchisees. Locally, this will be the third time that KK has come to our area and failed. All this info is available to the public. I'm not making it up. On top of everything else, the 2 owners, cousins or brothers I think, have no experience in the food business. I know 2 or 3 kids that have worked at their stores (my friends' children) and they say the owners are not very employee-friendly. Its obvious when you go in the store that these kids don't have much pride in where they work. From what one boy told me, they had hired some managers that knew the business, were good at managing people, and they have pretty much gotten rid of them all because the comoany wasn't making money. Its a shame because the donuts are much better than Dunkin. Maybe some day there will be better leadership at one of these Krispy Cream franchises and it will last in Philly. I remember going to the one in Plymouth Meeting I think? as a kid and loving the glazed. Oh well, there is always Wawa.— Phillyphoody
- Rats.. I'd better use that $6.99/dozen coupon really soon then!— PhilMar
- KK - got hurt the first time around by off-balance sheet accounting practices that were being scruntized more carefully post-Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley. That's the downside risk of being Public. As for the product, it's a donut, big deal...everyone cheats now and then.— kissamiazz
- I remember going to London and visiting Harrod's. They had a KK there that was selling donuts at 12 pounds 50...at the time it equated to $23/dozen. And to think, the donuts aren't all that good.— FletcherT
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About this blog
Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.
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Philly.com
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