Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Corp. has unveiled its first store redesign in a decade at a newly opened location in Concord, N.C. The JAB Holding Co.-owned doughnut brand plans to roll out 45 more redesigned stores by 2020, featuring a digital-centric store interior and an expanded menu with milkshakes and ice cream.
The newly redesigned doughnut display inside of Krispy Kreme.
Krispy Kreme’s technology-focused store format integrates in-store ordering with online orders, delivery, digital menu boards, a designated area for mobile order pickup and digital order confirmation. The store also features an expanded drive-thru, adding two more lanes to ease order congestion.
“This new shop experience honors the heritage of Krispy Kreme while at the same time acknowledging and addressing the rising expectations of our customers,” said Andy Skehan, Krispy Kreme’s president for North America.
Customized doughnuts that customers can build themselves.
Krispy Kreme’s doughnut shop competitor, Dunkin’, unveiled a similarly technology-driven store redesign in 2018 with an enhanced drive-thru and mobile order delivery and pickup experiences. But whereas Dunkin’ dropped the “Donuts” from its name and began using the new store format to emphasize their coffee and espresso offerings, Krispy Kreme’s new direction leans into its doughnut menu and is more reminiscent of an old-school sweet shop.
The redesigned menu features “scoop sandwiches” (doughnut ice cream sandwiches topped with doughnut-infused ice cream and a variety of toppings), milkshakes made with doughnut infused ice cream in flavors like double chocolate, salty caramel and Oreo, and build-your-own doughnuts. This last customizable category lets customers choose from five glazes, 10 toppings and five different drizzles.
Milkshakes and ice cream doughnut sandwich creations available on the new menu.
The centerpiece of the redesigned shop is what Krispy Kreme calls its “doughnut theater,” where customers can view the entire doughnut-making process from beginning to end before viewing the doughnuts in new, brightly lighted display cases.
“From our time-tested process of producing the world’s most loved doughnuts to our new Original Glazed Doughnut infused ice cream, we’re very excited for what the future holds,” Skehan said.
Exterior of the new Concord store.
Krispy Kreme has 1,400 locations in 33 countries.
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi