Exclusive: Krispy Kreme Is Opening A 24-Hour Flagship Store In NYC's Times Square

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Times Square will soon be shining a little bit brighter and smelling a whole lot better as fresh, hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts roll into town.

The global doughnut chain (which celebrates 82 years in July) is finally expanding its footprint beyond the subterranean kiosk in the dark depths of Penn Station with a bright, shining beacon of sugary deliciousness in the heart of Times Square.

The first-of-its-kind Krispy Kreme Times Square Flagship, slated to open in the first half of 2020, will be located at the corner of 48th Street and Broadway and open 24 hours. It will be home to the world’s largest Hot Light, which will stand 15 feet tall and always be on, indicating that hot, fresh doughnuts are being made and served in-store. On bringing hot, fresh doughnuts back to NYC, Mike Tattersfield, CEO and president of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts told me in an exclusive interview, “That’s a big deal. That’s a core essence of the brand.”

Krispy Kreme fans will be able to watch the doughnuts being made via the brand’s iconic doughnut theater experience (digitally enhanced for the Times Square store), showcasing everything from the mixing of raw ingredients to the mouthwatering glaze waterfall. And in case that isn’t enough fodder for the ‘gram, the 4,500-square-foot retail space will feature the world’s largest Krispy Kreme doughnut box: a stadium-style seating area that will fit about two dozen people at a time.

In addition to melt-in-your-mouth Original Glazed doughnuts coming hot off the line, guests on the go will be able to get their hands on Krispy Kreme doughnuts via an exterior walk-up window (where OG dozens, pre-packed assorted dozens and coffee will be available) and an interior grab-and-go counter which will also offer merchandise. Mobile ordering and pickup, which the company began rolling out in U.S. shops at the beginning of this year, will also be available.

While exact details are still being ironed out, Krispy Kreme has plans for exclusive experiences and merchandise for the new flagship. These will take the form of “immersive and interactive digital activations” both inside and outside the store, according to a release, as well as NYC-themed apparel and drinkware.

“When you’re talking about one of the biggest global retail strips in the world where the consumer is used to bringing a piece of New York back to other countries, they will be visiting Krispy Kreme [and] would like to see that association that they were there,” Tattersfield said. “But don’t get me wrong, it is about making sure that [customers] also get an amazing doughnut experience.”

The Times Square flagship is set to serve more guests annually than any other Krispy Kreme store in the world, making its mark on one of the most iconic retail strips in the world and solidifying its place as a global purveyor of beloved sweet treats. While other retailers are only recently beginning to incorporate experiential aspects into their brick-and-mortar stores, “That’s all we know how to do,” said Tattersfield, who describes Krispy Kreme as an experiential brand. “It’s foundational to us, [and] it’s probably half the story of why people have that connection with Krispy Kreme.”

I asked Tattersfield to tell me about his favorite Krispy Kreme doughnut, which is, unsurprisingly, Original Glazed. “When you have your first hot Original Glazed experience, I just don’t think there’s anything else that exists like it in the marketplace,” Tattersfield said. “It’s been something that has been going on since 1937 and it’s getting down to the same core simple ingredients that just taste amazing. We have some amazing other doughnuts and we’re working on some interesting beverages and product lines, but [Original Glazed] is the gold standard and sets a high bar for everything else we do.”