Photography by Tim Robison
The South’s love affair with Krispy Kreme doughnuts began in 1937, when founder Vernon Rudolph opened the first shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Using a secret yeast-raised dough recipe bought from a Louisiana chef, Rudolph first delivered his near-weightless confections to grocery stores around town. Before long, people began wandering in from the street, lured by the bakery aroma, prompting Rudolph to cut a rough window into the wall to sell directly to customers. Demand boomed: Hundreds of retail locations popped up from coast to coast before the company went international in 2001. Despite geography and scale, one thing remains the same: When the neon Hot Now sign is blazing, freshly fried delicacies are on the way.
- Show up on your birthday, National Doughnut Day (the first Friday in June), or in costume on Halloween to receive a free doughnut. Servicemen can score one on Veterans Day, while students can receive one for each A on their report card (up to six) or a dozen for high school or college graduation.
- Krispy Kreme’s only doughnut vending machine can be found at the company headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Open 24/7, the touch-screen dispenser is stocked with three-packs of doughnuts, including raspberry-filled, chocolate- or strawberry-sprinkled, and original glazed.
- Run 2.5 miles, eat 12 doughnuts, and run 2.5 miles back—that’s the premise of the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, North Carolina, an annual fundraising event of “physical fitness and gastrointestinal fortitude” supporting UNC Children’s Hospital.
- Substitute hamburger buns for halved Krispy Kreme doughnuts and you’ve got yourself a Luther burger. Named after the late R&B crooner, the ultra-decadent dish is served at restaurants such as Brooks Burgers in Naples, Florida, and is a recurring staple at state fairs nationwide.
- Krispy Kreme UK once held the record for the world’s most expensive doughnut at a whopping $1,388. The ritzy ring was made with Dom Perignon jelly, a cream made of raspberries and exclusive Château d’Yquem wine, and edible 24-karat gold leaf and diamonds.
This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Southbound.
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