Krispy Kreme to open Aug. 13 in Fort Collins
FORT COLLINS — Just five months after its construction began and three months ahead of schedule, a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop will open next week in Fort Collins.
The 3,505-square-foot store at 4624 S. Mason St. will open at 5:30 a.m. Aug. 13, and just as it did at its March 19 groundbreaking ceremony, free doughnuts will be the draw. During its first five days of business, Krispy Kreme will randomly surprise 120 guests with with a “Celebration Dozen Ticket” that provides one free dozen original glazed doughnuts every month for a year.
In March, the chain gave 400 people who attended the groundbreaking free doughnuts after they signed up for Krispy Kreme’s rewards program.
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Fort Collins-based Dohn Construction began work March 5 at the site, converting a space that had been occupied until several years ago by a Fazoli’s fast-casual pasta restaurant into a 3,641-square-foot outlet for Krispy Kreme Inc. (Nasdaq: DNUT). At that time, a representative for
Cypress, California-based WKS Restaurant Group told BizWest that the Fort Collins location would open in November.
“Known for our iconic doughnuts and premium coffee, Krispy Kreme is one of the most beloved
sweet-treat brands around,” Mireya Hernandez, vice president of WKS Krispy Kreme, said in a prepared statement. “We are excited to expand our footprint in the Fort Collins community and look forward to serving our new neighbors melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts and delicious drinks, morning through night.”
The shop will be open from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and an hour later on Friday and Saturday.
WKS also manages the chain’s three other Colorado locations — in Colorado Springs, Lone Tree and Thornton — as well as Krispy Kreme stores in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Utah.
Known for the iconic red neon “Hot” sign in its window that is illuminated when a fresh batch of doughnuts comes out of the kitchen, Krispy Kreme will serve up its familiar lineup of more than a dozen varieties at the new location, including original glazed doughnuts as well as a selection of coffees and other beverages.
The chain was founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when founder Vernon Rudolph bought a recipe for yeast-raised doughnuts from a French chef in New Orleans. The chain spread throughout the southeastern United States in the 1960s, and was sold to Beatrice Foods Co. in 1976, three years after Rudolph’s death. In 1982, a small group of franchise holders bought Krispy Kreme back from Beatrice and began a nationwide expansion. It moved through bankruptcy, went private in a $1.4 billion buyout by Luxembourg-based JAB Holding Co. in 2016, and completed a new initial public offering in 2020.
The company has nearly 1,400 retail shops in 33 countries.
Besides Krispy Kreme stores in the West and Southwest, WKS also manages brands including Wendy’s, Denny’s and El Pollo Loco.
