Fans flock to Krispy Kreme store but noise row leaves a bad taste
EVEN the customers queuing for donuts into the late evening at Krispy Kreme can’t explain the phenomenon.
“It is mad. I came down with my mother-in-law and my son who is eight years old so that’s three generations all going mad for donuts,” said Amy Byrne from Carpenterstown in Dublin. “My son was dying to come down to try them and the whole school was talking about them.”
American donut chain Krispy Kreme’s opened its first Irish store last Wednesday and has seen droves of people flocking for a taste of the famous glazed treats.
Dozens of motorists are lining up in the adjoining carpark of the shop’s drive-thru, beeping their horns in excitement before they place their order at the window.
It’s not just the humans – even dogs are getting in on the action. “It’s just curiosity and the dog loves donuts, she loves a little half a donut so that’s why I came down,” Suzanne Murphy-Beattie, from Ashbourne, Co Meath, as she queued with her shih tzu dog.
Local Blanchardstown resident Karen Cassidy said she was eagerly waiting to take kids Ellie and Aidan down for a taste after seeing signs go up months ago.
“We live locally and we’re dying to try them after seeing signs up for months and months about it coming.”
Customers are walking out with pre-packed boxes of up to 12 donuts apiece.
But while the excitement is palpable in those queuing up for the sugary treats, nearby residents have been enduring sleepless nights as a result of noisy motorists who continue to beep through the night.
In what appears to be a game between motorists waiting for their order, customers are reportedly honking their horns and shouting at each other.
“I just hear screaming and last Saturday it went on until 3am,” nearby resident Giacomo Persichini said.
“Basically you’d wake up every night at some point to the beeping, not really understanding why it happened,” another resident, Sofia Tuomola, said.
As a result, Krispy Kreme has now closed the drive-thru overnight in a bid to keep concerned locals on board with the store’s opening.
“We’ve listened to our neighbours and we’re making changes,” Krispy Kreme CEO Richard Cheshire said in a statement issued last night.
“The smiles and joy have been great to see. But we know that the late-night noise has been an upset for our neighbours.”
Residents hope this will put an end to late noise and see a return to a decent sleep at night.
“I’m hoping if they close the queue a little bit earlier that there will be no cars around then,” Mr Persichini said.
The donut trend has been growing in Dublin city over the past number of years with shops such as Aungier Danger and The Rolling Donut seeing huge demand for their donuts.
But for many customers at the Krispy Kreme store, the donut craze has a while to go.
Student Kathryn Deeter, who stopped by on her way home from college, anticipated the mania will not last.
“I think it’s only going to be crazy for a couple of months and then everyone will calm down,” she said.