Krispy Kreme comes to Medford

For those hailing from New England and other states that were left behind in the Krispy Kreme frenzy, have no fear, the first Krispy Kreme in New England will open in Medford sometime in early spring.

The new Krispy Kreme will be located at 35 Paul Revere Parkway. Although the store will be in Medford, it will be 2.5 miles to the northeast of campus, near the Wellington stop on the Orange Line and only easily accessible to students with cars.

While the location is not ideal for students, the store offers an experience they claim to be worth the trip. Fresh, hot doughnuts and a variety of beverages ranging from coffee to strawberry milk will be served 24 hours a day.

There are presently no plans for delivery or on-campus doughnut sales.

According to the company, a franchise owner has recently bought the rights to open multiple stores in Massachusetts. Krispy Kreme chose Medford and not central Boston for the first opening because of the active family community that inhabits the area, according to Krispy Kreme spokeswoman Sarah Webb.

The organization prides itself on not relying on metropolitan markets (with the lone exception of New York City), preferring to embed its roots in smaller, suburban communities such as Medford. Webb believes the Krispy Kreme allure is such that it will draw city-dwellers away from the hustle and bustle of Boston.

Since its opening in 1937, the original location in Akron, OH has had a constant stream of patrons from the bigger cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus. Krispy Kreme is looking forward to large support from the neighboring college communities and their students' late-night munchies.

Students such as Kimberly Bullock are happy about the new opening. "Other doughnuts pale in comparison, the quality compared to Dunkin Donuts is unbelievable," she said.

However, the distance to the new store dampens enthusiasm. "They're good, but not that good," Bullock said.

But not everyone loves Krispy Kreme. The company's doughnuts are "disgusting, and I don't care for them. I would only go there for the coffee," visiting BU student Shelley Tinkham said.

The ground-breaking ceremony took place on Dec. 11, and the company said construction is on schedule for an early spring opening.

According to the Krispy Kreme website, the company is hoping to bring "the hot doughnut experience to more people" through new technology and more franchises.

While the Krispy Kreme legacy has been firmly established on the merit of the glazed doughnuts, each store prides itself on being a showroom for creative and enticing flavors such as glazed blueberry and glazed sour cream. However, they are not abandoning traditional favorites like devil's food, sprinkle, and cream filled.

The doughnuts themselves are more varied than the drinks, although the company is making a concerted effort to improve coffee sales.

The store will include an all-night drive-through window.

Every store has a show with large vats of mix and plain doughnuts that roll along a conveyor belt until they are finally doused with a thick, creamy glaze.

Webb feels confident that the Dunkin Donut's monopoly cannot compare to the Krispy Kreme "doughnut experience."