Beneath the pink and orange striped sunrise, Krispy Kreme at 295 Ponce de Leon Ave. buzzed with excitement Tuesday morning. The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable band played jaunty tunes against the glowing Krispy Kreme sign while a little girl in pajamas rushed out to dance alongside them.
Some nearby residents walked a few blocks for their doughnut, while others braved morning traffic from the suburbs.
The historic Krispy Kreme in Midtown Atlanta has officially made its triumphant return. More than two years after back-to-back fires destroyed the building and franchise co-owner Shaquille O’Neal promised to rebuild, the landmark’s Hot Light will once again cast its neon red glow onto the streets of Atlanta.
“I’ve been waiting for this day,” Cheryl Leslie said, echoing the sentiment of many customers.
Leslie, who lives in Midtown, said she drove past the iconic doughnut shop every day after the fire, wondering when it would reopen. Before it burned down, she would wait for the Hot Light to turn on to request her customary order of glazed doughnuts and a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The doughnut shop has been a fixture on the corner of Ponce de Leon and Argonne avenues since 1965. In those 58 years, it became part of weekly rituals for many Atlantans. Christa Gogstad of Decatur is a self-described “die-hard Krispy Kreme fan.” Prior to the 2021 fire, she and her Jack Russell terrier would make their way to the drive-thru every Sunday.
On Tuesday morning, Gogstad sat in the dining area with the Krispy Kreme chef hat perched on her head, surrounded by several dozen glazed doughnuts. She said she planned to “share all the goodness” with her coworkers.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Immanuel Parker drove more than an hour to support the shop’s reopening. The Carrollton resident said he frequented this Krispy Kreme as a kid with his father, who owned a hardwood flooring company. The pair would often stop by the shop when his father conducted business in Atlanta.
Parker ordered original glazed for himself, Scooby-Doo Halloween doughnuts for his daughter, a dozen for his mom, a dozen for his aunt and still another dozen for his coworkers at Moe’s Southwest Grill.
“I love Atlanta. I love Georgia,” Parker said. “And Krispy Kreme has got some of the greatest melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts you ever have tasted in your life.”
Pulling off the events of Tuesday morning took a team of hard-working Krispy Kreme employees. This was Mary Lark’s first day serving customers. She bustled back and forth during the morning rush, picking the hot, fresh doughnuts off the conveyor belt and delivering them to patrons waiting in line.
Years ago, Lark lived across the street from Krispy Kreme. She said she never thought she would end up working here but is loving it so far. The crowd, which continued at a steady flow throughout the morning, came as a surprise even to her. She said she spent 15 minutes trying to maneuver her car into the congested parking lot.
“I was shocked,” Lark explained. “I said, ‘I’m gonna be late for work.’”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
While plenty of customers entered the store on foot, the drive-thru lane also saw ample traffic. Ursula Huffman’s 15-year-old son sent her from the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood to pick up some Halloween doughnuts, complete with notated screenshots of the exact flavors he wanted.
Huffman said that prior to the fire, their routine was to eat at Nancy’s Pizza then stop by Krispy Kreme for dessert.
“It helps the community continue to thrive and look good because we hate to see empty lots with nothing on it,” Huffman said from her car. “So the fact that they were able to do this, Shaq was able to get this back, we’re just excited.”
With the return of Atlanta’s landmark Krispy Kreme, old rituals can be restored, and new traditions can take root. Caroline Earle and her son Michael sat at one of the tables where she watched him taste his first Krispy Kreme doughnut.
“You could see his face change,” she said. “He just looked at me with huge eyes.”
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