When you think about eating a donut, what comes to mind? A hot, doughy Krispy Kreme original glazed donut, made just minutes before consumption? Or a factory-made room temperature donut from Dunkin Donuts, perhaps days old, sitting and waiting for it’s unfortunate demise? Why would anyone want a cold, hard donut you ask? Sadly, many have not been enlightened to the superiority of the Krispy Kreme donut, and even worse, some prefer Dunkin.

I understand that Dunkin is more well known, and with around 11,300 stores worldwide, 8,500 of those being in the United States, America truly does Run on Dunkin. However, with only 1,005 stores internationally, I believe Krispy Kreme holds its own in terms of competition as well as popularity. It is a local staple, with its first ever location in Winston-Salem. Even in places where there aren’t physical stores, their products ship worldwide. But the size of corporations shouldn’t affect which store you prefer, especially with both stores having multiple locations locally. We should measure these stores by quality.

Let’s talk about coffee. I enjoy Dunkin’s coffee. I even have a bag of their branded coffee grounds in my kitchen right now. So if you go to Dunkin for coffee, then by all means please keep enjoying whatever flavored drink you prefer. However, if the coffee is required in order to enjoy the donut, then I don’t believe the restaurant deserves patronage. Great coffee shouldn’t make up for a mediocre donut, which may be why the company shortened their name from Dunkin Donuts to just “Dunkin” earlier this year. The donuts are an afterthought, and therefore aren’t as essential to them.

Krispy Kreme’s donuts are as close to perfect as they come. Imagine biting into a hot glazed donut. It’s the consistency, the warmth, the glaze isn’t overly sweet, but just sweet enough, and the donut is so light it melts in your mouth. Dunkin’s donuts are cakey, thick, cold, and, dare I say, inefficient to eat. They fail to succeed when it comes to making donuts; haphazardly inserting the filling, hastily frosting, and sending the donut down the line. Krispy Kreme’s donuts are made with care, with proportioned filling, and evenly coated frosting. 

Personally, I haven’t had good experiences with Dunkin. Whenever I may visit (usually in a hurry,) my donuts are thrown into the bag without care. I often pull out my sloppy-looking Boston Kreme donut, with all the chocolate frosting stuck to the bottom of the bag. By the time I get home, my bacon, egg and cheese breakfast wrap is cold, my donut is stale and barren, and the only solace I have is my coffee. 

Krispy Kreme always provides me with a consistently great experience. I’m guaranteed to get a fantastic donut (right-side-up, I may add,) a good customer experience, and I know that the workers there truly care. I implore everyone to go out to Krispy Kreme and see for yourself. The answer is clear. So I ask you, America, please, stop running on Dunkin.