Maui residents camp
out for isles’ first
Krispy Kreme
KAHULUI >> Maui resident Candee Riddle said a friend piqued her curiosity, and after camping out in the drive-through line since 11:30 a.m. Monday, she was at the front of the line when the first Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in Hawaii opened at 5:30 yesterday morning.
"His mouth watered, his eyes glazed over" when her friend talked about Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Riddle recalled.
More than 200 people, some with sleeping bags and beach chairs, waited in lines along the sidewalk and sat in back-to-back vehicles for the grand opening.
Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, appearing for the opening, proclaimed yesterday "Krispy Kreme Day."
The Maui store, which offers 15 varieties of doughnuts, including pumpkin spice and chocolate icing with spice, is Krispy Kreme's 355th store. It is near the Kahului Airport on the corner of Dairy Road and Haleakala Highway.
Store hours are 5 a.m. to midnight, with a 24-hour drive-through window.
Krispy Kreme fans said the wait was worth it.
"It gives you a sense of relaxation and peace," said John Kim, a Makawao resident. "It's considered the bomb."
With a wistful look, Kim recalled when he lived in Alexandria, Va., and ate his Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the evenings after work.
Makawao resident Meryl Creacy remembers working at a Krispy Kreme in Tampa Bay, Fla., 32 years ago and swears by its quality.
Creacy said he doesn't go in for the fancy stuff. He likes the glazed doughnut. "The doughnut is the best," he said.
Gerard Centioli, president and chief executive officer of ICON LLC/KremeWorks, said he was happy with the response of customers.
"I think bringing Krispy Kreme to paradise doesn't get any better than this," Centioli said.
Centioli said the company opened the first franchise on Maui because it was able to find the right location.
Centioli said he has been visiting Maui since he was a child and is pleased with the friendly atmosphere on the Valley Isle.
Krispy Kreme said it plans to open two stores on Oahu within the next five years but hasn't secured the locations.
The store, founded by the late Vernon Carver Rudolph in North Carolina in 1937, produces more than 7.5 million doughnuts daily and has retail locations worldwide, including Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia.