Lovers of chain store doughnuts usually fall into one of two camps: you’re either a Krispy Kremer or a Dunker. Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts have dominated the chain-store doughnut landscape in the US for a long time now, each surviving their own ups and downs and carving out their own niche (KK is dominant in secondary distribution and Dunkin has started to re-brand itself as a coffee roaster that sells the occasional pastry) to survive in today’s slightly more health conscious environment.
I grew up at the counter of the Krispy Kreme in Goldsboro, NC, between my little brother and my grandfather, who used to take us there to get hot, fresh glazed doughnuts right off the line and a cup of milk to dunk them in. Moving to NoVa meant a dearth of KK shops and I was weaned onto delectable grocery-store bakery delights and reluctantly began to appreciate the more cakey Dunkin Donuts offerings and that they went well with their coffee. When I moved up to PA we had neither a KK or a DD within what is even remotely a reasonable distance and again I fell in love with the exotic and decadent offerings of local bakeries and small-town grocery stores. One fasnacht or strawberry/creme filled bullet from these places was enough to make me drop to my knees and swear fidelity, forsaken for all time the cheap, air-filled offerings of the national chains. I thought I would forever be happy to leave the dried-out KK boxes on the supermarket or gas-station shelf and get something fresh, moist and heavy from the bakery, and for a time, I was.
Yet another move, back to VA, meant another new doughnut, the Spudnut. At first, I treated the Spudnut as something of a novelty. Their product was closer to KK in some ways but had that strange light density that potato flour gives baked goods. I have pretty much stuck with them the last few years, only occasionally going so far as to sample the offerings from Hot Cakes or Chandler’s, and I’ve been happy. I may even have tried Donut Connection (which seemed like a Dunkin knock off). When I traveled for work I could get a fresh KK fix in Daytona Beach or Las Vegas and it was pretty much enough to keep the memory of those childhood days at the counter fresh in my mind. Whenever we have friends in town, however, and the question of doughnuts comes up, I’ve always been at a loss, because I don’t know Spudnuts‘ hours (and they’re quite a hike from my house) and the bakeries are even worse. I usually just go to the grocery store and get a box of KK and complain about how dried out they are.
All of this is about to change. On Sunday night, driving to the Sheetz in Ruckersville, I passed the “new” Best Western on 29 North (site of the second Lord Hardwick’s) and saw what I feel is pretty good news: Coming Soon: Dunkin Donuts. That’s right, Charlottesville (or the area, at least) is about to get a Dunkin Donuts. I haven’t been here long enough to know if there was one before and it just failed, or if the Donut Connection used to be a Dunkin, but I have to say that I’m excited about it. No info on the sign as to when we can expect Dunkin goodness, but things are moving fast in that area, so I’m sure it’ll be soon. The outside of the building appears to be complete.
So here’s the question: will any of the Villains make the trek? Is it worth a 20 minute drive up 29 to get good, regular coffee and decent donuts? Or will this spore of the evil corporate chain virus pop up like a boil and be lanced from the skin of the community?
Popularity: 20% [?]
Tagged as: carpe donuts, chain stores, Coffee, Doughnuts, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Spudnuts
dude you forgot Carpe Donuts! Have you tried those yet?
http://cvillain.com/2008/03/21/carpe-donut-review-donuts-on-the-downtown-mall/
i have not. i’ve only seen them once or twice and the cash/opportunity relationship has never worked out for me.
considering the old one was bulldozed in favor of the new arch’s building at barracks, I’m not sure commuting for dunkin is gonna happen.
that said, I guess they’re working hard to revive with the new ad campaign.
Are they gonna be open 24 hours? I’d drive up there if that was the case. DD pwns KK.
DDG: wasn’t that a “Donut Connection”? like i said, those may have originally been Dunkin’s, as the sign was similar, but i haven’t been around long enough to know. it was a DC when i got here in 2004.
@4 i think the Dunkin M.O. is 24-7/365, but i don’t know if that’s up to the individual franchisee or not.
it was definitely a dunkin, I spent many a late night… ahem, morning stopping there on my drive home from shows at Trax. smelled funny, and goddammit, always a freaking receipt for my doughnut.
/forgot to mention rachael ray is a nitwit
a DD has recently opened at lake monticello. i think about 2 weeks ago..
@2 I totally know what you mean. a lot of the specialty food establishments in cville are cash only. who the heck carries cash with them all the time?
@9 i get it trouble when i carry cash. it’s a problem, not having any self control. it’s hard on my waist line!
@5 - it was a dunkin before it was donut connection. from what i heard, DD upped their franchise fees, so the guy who owned the DD on emmet decided to jump ship. although donut connection basically had the exact same donuts as dunkin (i frequented both). DC is now located on the 250 bypass just up from free bridge (next to bank of america), but sadly his selection has waned.
ha! and oh so easy in cville.
What about The Grillswith @ the White Spot?
My new favorite donuts in town are the one’s from the farmer’s market. I think it’s the Baker’s Palette family that makes them. They are always hot.. big ups
But their poptarts pwn their donuts.
someone in town makes poptarts from scratch?
The Baker’s Palette….derrrr. They sell ‘em at the city market. They used to sell them at Café Cubano too, but not sure if that’s the case any longer.
The Baker’s Palette donuts are made from a big old bag o’ donut mix… blech. Carpe Donut makes them from scratch with organic flour, apple cider, and lots of love. Plus they’re sweet people. But it can be a challenge finding them sometimes.
I don’t know about you guys, but I thoroughly enjoy the sugar coma I recieve from a delicious Krispy Kreme donut…in my book, nothing tops them (esp. hot, right from the store).
/pissed there’s not a KK in cville
//also obsessed with the sugary birthday cake icing (whipped blows!)
DC is now located on the 250
Canonically, it is referred to as “DoCo”, and, yes, pace the misguided mungheads who enjoy KK, a proper German-style cake donut is similar in style to DoCo or Dunkin’ Donuts, rather than the sugar-glazed catastrophe purveyed by the no-talent nincompoops at Krispy Kreme.
pissed there’s not a KK in cville
Perhaps you can console yourself with some chicken from the business occupying the old c-ville KK location.
@19, 20 The KK franchisee would have been happy to keep the franchise, but KKHQ 86′ed it PDQ when the transfats hit the fan. But since he owns the building, he’s happy cashing the checks from the chicken franchise.
/QED
KK donuts suck. They are slimy FFS. Gimme a Bavarian creme.
I love KK.. what are you talking about?
KK are probably one of the best (most unhealthy) desserts EVA
@23 again, What about The Grillswith @ the White Spot?
I love KK.. what are you talking about?
Sometimes people’s personal preferences diverge on the internet. In fact, some people don’t even *have* an internet.
@23: If you like putting slimy things in your mouth, that’s your personal choice.
@26, i’ll show you slimy.
It’s not slimy, it’s dissolvish, melt in your mouth awesome (if that’s a word).
I’LL SHOW YOU SLIMY–into the Jello pit bitch!
I’ve paid with a check at Carpe Donuts.
Does Spudnuts count? These are more like the inverse of donuts, but still a pastry, sugary delight!
let’s make this easy. my mom’s doughnuts win. HA! one to nothin’.
@25: I wish the tubes of the internets came to my house. Sadly, the best I can get is IP over Avian Carriers.
@ 8: yeah, but you gotta get there early if you want any kind of selection. Was in there late morning a few days ago and they had 2, maybe 3 types of donuts to choose from.
my mom’s doughnuts win
YEAH they do.
/ooh yeah; ew.
Does anyone else remember Mr. Donut?
what does he have to do with my mom? did he taste her doughnuts too?
I grew up one town over from the first Dunkin’ and the busiest Dunkin’ is in my town. I’m not bragging. But we’ve got a little saying up there about the girls with the big ol booties: Dunkin’ the Trunk.
@34 And yes. Mr. Donut was the best. I used to get hot chocolates and jelly sticks when I was a kid. Never had the coffee
spudnuts is open starting at 6am (i think).
they pretty much close when they run out of doughnuts, so it’s always best to get there as early as possible to get any of their delicious offerings.
i would not make the hike to DD all the way up almost to Sheetz, unless i was still in college and desperate for something late-night other than LJ’s on the corner (this is assuming the DD will be 24/7). if the DD is not 24/7, i would not make the hike that far out unless i was already out there for something else.
KK rules!!! dd is like a dried up old dude and kk is like a hot young thing!
you gotta have coffee with your dd so you don’t choke on the dryness! they’re cakey and not even good cakey but bought at the food lion a week out of date cakey.
however, would like to get duck’s mom’s recipe…
As Chad already stated, Lake Monticello got a DD last week. I went there on Sunday morning, and had a vile latte and a Barbie pink strawberry glazed donut. I couldn’t help but notice that all the waiting customers were morbidly obese, with children to match. It was actually a very sad sight.
Lake Monticello DD FTW. There are some hottie Fluvanna teenage chicks behind the counter and lots of county yokels for people watching. I had a gross breakfast sandwich, but the iced coffee was decent. They don’t have fair trade organic coffee like the New England DDs do, but it’s at least it’s another option out here when you need some sugar and caffeine.
hey, folks, I’m never gonna be there when Spudnuts opens, but I’m pretty sure they close at 2pm. In any case, my first choice, albeit seasonal and you hafta be totally patient with the long lines, are the apple donuts at Carters Mtn.
/drool…
/i’ve heard that if you cut the venom with a little baby laxative, you can still sell it at street price
/dang, wrong thread
hope nobody else is up
good, no one else is… or, dang, no one else is…
Looking at this donut picture first thing in the morning has forced me to go to spudnuts!
Funny…. made me do Kegels for 15 minutes.
Mmmm… I live soooo conveniently close to spudnuts.
@46 and 47: properly advertised, those could have the same end result.
Wingnut: You’re a Goldsboroan? Me too.
Air Force Brat?
@50 indeed. my mom was a B&R Goldsboroan and met my dad when she was working for the News Argus and had to go to Seymour Johnson AFB to do an interview. he was a PIO working on getting into Nav school. He did two tours there.
Haha we get Spudnuts tomorrow at work. Free. Don’t be jeaaaaalous.
@52
i’m not, we got ‘em free at work today!
One of the surprising characteristics of cuisine under the various regimes of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was that Nut was often known to Spud You.
@53: d’OH!
@55: NUT!
That made me spit water all over teh monitor. Nice.
i couldn’t resist. your new monitor and keyboard are on the way.
Th nks cuz the s no longer work nd now I need one. D mmit.
@41 “apple donuts at Carters Mtn.”
went there today. MMMMMMMM apple donuts. no lines at all (maybe because it’s 90 degrees), & they still have peach ice cream too!