Sometimes I just can’t help but make a detour when I drive by and see the red neon sign lit up on the side of the street. This is mainly because as far as I’m concerned there is nothing better than a hot doughnut.

Krispy Kreme definitely has a lot of nostalgia associated with it. When the Gardena, CA shop first opened I remember it being a really, really big deal. The company was huge in advertising through fundraisers when I was younger, so I can’t even begin to tell you how many dozens our family bought from punch cards sold by essentially every high school sports team.

What I loved most were the big windows and the way they display the process so you can follow the entire doughnut’s conception from oven to frier to glazing.

As for the doughnut itself, when it’s fresh off the conveyer belt it melts in your mouth. The glaze is thick and therefore it’s really, really sweet (mathematically 3x sweeter than any doughnut I’ve had according to my rough glaze calculations) so I usually can’t eat more than one. It is also worth mentioning that they taste pretty damn terrible when they’ve been sitting out for a while at room temperature. If you buy a dozen, put one in the microwave for 11 seconds (not 10, not 12) before you eat it. Works like a charm.

Kids get a free hot doughnut while the sign is on!

And speaking of free donuts, today Krispy Kreme offered free original glazed doughnuts for the first 1,000 customers to celebrate their 1,000th store opening. Where can you find the newest location you ask? The beautiful Kansas City, Kansas. I hope my friends out there are celebrating (I’m talking to you Anna and Don).

For a location nearest you, check out their website at http://www.krispykreme.com/