For many, 2011 was a year of planking, Rebecca Black's ear-bleeding hell of a horrible song called "Friday," and Junderpants. But if you were a doughnut lover living in Arizona, you might most remember 2011 as the year every Krispy Kreme in the state (save for one in Mesa) shut its sticky, smeared doors due to a franchise turnover.
See also: 10 Favorite (Restaurant) Doughnuts in Greater Phoenix and Everyone Knows About This Late-Night Doughnut Shop in Chandler, Right?
Oh, sure, there were rays of sunlight after the 2011 fallout: a new Krispy Kreme location in Scottsdale as well as another store in Mesa. But given that the same thing happened in 2006, when eight Krispy Kreme stores in Arizona unexpectedly closed, would we ever be able to trust the Winston-Salem-based company again? And when, oh, when, would Krispy Kreme, with almost 700 stores, turn its fried-ring eyes to Phoenix once more?
Mark your calendars, Krispy Kreme fans. It's time to eat doughnuts and get free stuff.
At 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 26, a new Krispy Kreme will open at 3607 East Bell Road in North Phoenix (East Bell Road and State Route 51).
And doughnut lovers who get to the grand opening early will get a chance to score the following sweet prizes:
• The first person in line gets free doughnuts each week for a year.
• The next 99 in line get free doughnuts each month for a year.
• The first 100 in line get a free T-shirt.
• The first guest in the drive-thru gets free doughnuts each week for a year and a free T-shirt.
• The next 11 guests in the drive through get free doughnuts each month for a year and a free T-shirt.
The new Krispy Kreme location in Phoenix will feature more than a dozen varieties of doughnuts as well as Krispy Kreme Signature Coffee Blends.
Expected hours of operation are 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit the Krispy Kreme Arizona Facebook page.