It’s Friday, so I am allowing myself to talk junk food… when I was in university in Boston, I was as thin as a reed, and with no fat cares in the world, I could easily, but I mean easily, eat an entire box of Entemann’s “Old Fashioned Doughnutsâ€. These grocery shelf doughnuts had a more cakey consistency than the more well known (high air, high carb, high sugar content) doughnuts of today. And when I worked in Australia many moons later, there was a coffee shop at the ground floor of my client’s building that sold a similar doughnut, but sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, it was delicious… and I ate at least two doughnuts for breakfast EVERY single morning…and promptly gained several pounds in one year. I have been unable to find this “cakey†doughnut in Manila until Krispy Kreme came to town…
Weeks before Krispy Kreme opened last year, I received a rather tempting email from their PR company offering boxes and boxes of doughnuts so that presumably I would write a post on them. But I avoid freebies and especially not from a launch that just had so 
much hype behind it. So I was going to give Krispy Kreme a few months to get settled before I even thought of checking them out. But their media and freebie blitz was hard to avoid and I tasted their classic sugary doughnut days before they opened when my daughter bought some jeans…Frankly, I find most doughnuts today, regardless of brand, just way too sweet. And I like sweet. This is the ultimate fast food…incredibly easy to make in bulk, requires relatively common ingredients and relies on that combination of carbohydrates and sugar and the miracle of air inside food to make something for nearly nothing and sell it for multiples of the cost. Think of a large hot pan de sal coated in sugar syrup. And condition young palates from age 18 months to want this taste sensation for the rest of their lives (ever wonder why McDonald’s is so nice to pre-schoolers? They see lifetime converts, silly!!!). However, I am pleased Krispy Kreme carries these “traditional cake†doughnuts and I will get them every so often when I have a hankering. Perfect with a hot cup of strong tea. At about PHP20 each after all the bulk discounts and promotions, they aren’t as wickedly pricey as the advertised individual price of PHP38.
I will, however, rant a bit that the lines at any of these doughnut joints or bakeshops such as GoNuts Donuts, Sonja’s and Krispy Kreme, which in my opinion, are just totally “manufactured†and scripted…they could easily avoid the lines but it gives the impression that they are a sought after and totally hot commodity…let’s face it, its just a doughnut or cupcake guys. If you think you are getting something special simply because you have to wait in line for it, who are you kidding but yourself??? Go off hours and you’ll find the entire place twiddling their bloody thumbs waiting for customers. Lines, my rear end… This isn’t the old Eastern Europe where bread and toilet paper was being rationed and one joined a line as soon as they saw the end of it. And what happens to customer perceptions when you no longer have any lines? I can’t stand it when hype overshadows good customer service…
23 Responses
I never understood the hype about Krispy Kreme, and that’s because we never got the freshly made ones. Convenient stores and supermarkets were once teaming with KK, but since they are not made right in front of you, that did not do well and what was left was people wondering what in the donut world is so desirable about them. Especially if you get them at the gas station next to the gummie bears. Hence, the fad slowly went away. I think the bosses over at KK chewed more than they can swallow, and now they have not only lost the market, they are in a financial shamble as well.
I haven’t tasted any of those Gonuts donuts, sonja’s or krispy kremes, don’t know if they’re as good as they claim to be, but one thing is for sure… I always miss the Dunkin’ Donuts in Manila. I don’t know if it’s just me, or the Philippine version of Dunkin Donut is really different. To me, even the smell is a little bit different than Dunkin here in the US. And I noticed that my favorite Dunkins are not available here. Or Did I not look around enough? I miss the nutty chocolate! I looked for it at every dunkin donut shop I could find in NYC when we used to live there, and I did not find one that sells it. The choco munchkins here also taste a little different to me.
The KK branches here in HK are, to use a Pinoy catchword, “nilalangaw”.
hi MM – i went to school in virginia. that’s part of the south where krispy kreme is from. didn’t understand the thrill until i tried a kk donut warm from the oven. that’s when i got it!!! =) still haven’t tried the ones here though. the long lines + the bad reputation of carbs + sugar are quite a deterrent…
A KK outlet opened in some obscure suburb here in Melbourne and it was a big hit for a few months! People lined up for hours just to get a taste. I never understood why it was such a big deal and I still don’t! I stayed in a Las Vegas hotel where it had a KK outlet and you could see the donuts being made and dipped in a hot vat of oil! Ugh! It clearly put me off! I still much prefer Dunkin Donuts with all the different flavours and denser quality of its dough =)
I, too, was wondering why people were so excited about the arrival of Krispy Kreme in the Philippines. I wasn’t a doughnut fan, but I guess that’s because all ever had were doughnuts from Manila which are waaayyy too sweet!!!
I became a convert when I chanced upon a short line in KK’s Fort B outlet, went it and took a bite of the free original glazed doughnut that came straight out of the oven. Mmmmmm…I forgot about the horrifying thoughts I had seeing what was going into those doughnuts (oil, ultra-sugary glaze)from the moment I tasted it. Heavenly! Now I have occasional cravings for KK original glazed doughnuts =) But it’s the only one I like from KK.
this post brings me back to my university days in california. i used to pig out on entemanns old fashioned dougnuts. ralphs grocery would have them on special once a week, 2for1 offer. those were the days….
If you want really good doughnuts take that iron 3 ft. carajay out of Lola’s basement and start making doughnuts. Hers were made fresh every afternoon between 3 and 4 pm and at no other time. Yeast dough, strung on slim bamboo poles and slipped into bubbling lard and sold hot sprinkled with sugar. If you want cakey doughnuts there are doughnut presses for sale that do a pretty good job.
I like just the glazed doughnuts of Krispy Kreme. I buy it from stores where I see them cooking it, it’s good because they are conveniently located near me. I still get Dunkin Doughnuts my favorite as of now is their Apple Crumb and my old favorites Boston Creme and of course the glazed. I don’t eat them everyday maybe once a month.
Regardless how good they are if I have to get in line for 20 minutes it turns me off. I back off and head out for something else and I do not have remorse in doing so. If you use any day old 50% Krispy Kreme donuts any variety– they make the best bread pudding. The rest just any stale bread – it is a real kick ass proverbial bread pudding.
Entenmann’s old fashioned doughnuts were my favorite too growing up and just your mention of these delicious treats is making me salivate. They also have these kinds with some sort of crumble on them.. YUM! The Vanilla donuts from Go Nuts remind me of them to although they are a little sweeter. When I was a kid we used to have field trips to punmpkin patches around halloween, eat delicious old fashioned donuts similar to those mentioned from Krispy Kreme and would wash them down with hot apple cider. Now that’s a good pairing!
Every time I see people line up for Go Nuts, I imagine a sign above them…”Future Diabetics”. I have not tried KK or Sonja’s…I avoid them. Not healthy. With the horrendous cost of getting sick nowadays, I stick to the adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Although I have tasted Krispy Kremes in NY, and do like them, I have not had one in there branch since they have opened in Manila. I have never even seen the branch. I dislike long lines and there are very few things that can convince me to wait in one. Doughnuts are not one of them.
My favorite doughnuts are the local fried ones that are coated in granulated sugar…YUM!
Until I tried KK Orig. Glazed fresh and hot off the line, I didn’t understand the hype. There’s just nothing like it! Even my picky, purist dad who never liked Dunkin’ Donuts can’t get enough of KK. But MM, after all the flavors I’ve tried, the traditional cake was the one I liked the least; I didn’t even bother to finish it(waste of calories). My favorites are the Sour Cream Glazed and the cruller. I don’t go if there’s a long line, though. I go on off hours.
Speaking of lines, I don’t think the KK line’s intentional — it actually moves quite quickly. The store where I think the line is ridiculous is Bread Talk! I’ve rarely seen it without a line, and a long one can materialize in minutes, despite their having more than one counter in some branches. They’ve got to realize what a turn-off it is (even for a bread addict like me) and come up with a more efficient system.
their store here in the fort is near where i work…and you are absolutely right that the long lines are a hype but maybe people go out at the same time during lunch and after work that’s why they converge together all at the same time….
i have tried their donuts but they are overly sugar-coated and much too airy…and i think that their price of Php350+ a box is too expensive…due to high rent maybe?
and i am too fidgety to wait long lines…hehehe
Joey, did you mean these kind of streetside freshly fried donuts? I love them and get them for just PHP2 each at a Nasugbu bakery on weekends… yum is right! Izang, they discount the price if you buy lots…its part of their strategy…but in the end PHP20 for a doughnut is still kinda pricey!
gads, yep, i think lining up for a doughnut, any doughnut, including Krispy Kremes is a little bit too OA for me. katrina, go to Breadtalk in Powerplant, i’ve never seen people lining up for anything in that branch. come to think of it, i’ve never seen any line in BreadTalk’s glorietta branch near oakwood either.
I find the Krispy Kremes sold here a tad too sweet than the ones in the US. And I think Php30 for a doughnut is just way too much!
negrosdude, those are exactly the two branches I ALWAYS have to queue up in! There have been a couple of times when I’d enter because there was no line, but by the time I’m ready to buy, a line has formed instantly! And it’s a slow line. At least in KK, it goes quickly.
The only time I walked into the Kk branch in Fort Bonifacio, there was no line, no one else in the store. Maybe on weekends they’re a bit busier.
I prefer the sour cream donut to the regular donuts. And yes, add my vote to Maria Clara’s bread pudding suggestion. Add some of the old donuts to any regular bread pudding recipe and it should make your dessert extra special. I’ve also re-jiggered the basic donut with some ice cream and jam, or how about partnering it with some sharp cheddar? A really good combination!
I am not a doughnut fan myself but when I was home last September, my Aunt made me try Cielo’s doughnuts – which is right across Ateneo. I found it absolutely fabulous, light and oh so yummy! Its not at all heavy or cakey. You get the doughnuts fresh, right out of the oven (or fryer) and you get to choose a topping – try the cheese! YUM!
I hail from Houston, Texas home of KK doughnuts. I would kill for having them here. In Houston he waait ofr KK doughnuts can be an hour at least especially on week-ends. Getting them fresh and still warm is best. They melt in your mouth.
i love KK original glazed!