It’s Krispy Kreme. Take that, Starbucks.
You don’t believe me? Check out the Harris Poll survey of the strongest brands in America. There it is in black and white — Krispy Kreme. I find the result surprising for two reasons.
First, I have never actually had a cup of coffee in a Krispy Kreme. I’m not sure I even know anyone who has. I guess they must sell coffee, but that’s not why you go to Krispy Kreme. You go when you are driving by and see the HOT NOW sign lit up. You swerve across several lanes of traffic to make a U-turn, dash into the store, order a glazed doughnut or 12, and eat them as you stand there so you don’t have the tell-tale box on the floor of the back set of your car. When they are fresh, they literally (well, virtually) melt in your mouth. They’re just wonderful. So wonderful that I really try to stay away from Krispy Kreme locations.
Second, Krispy Kreme doughnuts are only good when the HOT NOW sign is lit. Some people sell boxes of them as fundraisers. If you want to stop and get a box of doughnuts to take for your co-workers, you go to Dunkin Donuts, which has good doughnuts (or donuts), but they’re not so good that you have to eat them all before you get to the office. If someone brings Krispy Kreme doughnuts to your office, they got them via a fundraiser, and not from a coffee shop. Maybe I should drop in one some time when the HOT NOW sign is off, grab some coffee, and run before a fresh batch of glazed doughnuts comes out. It may be pretty good.
The rest of the list is interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to see AMC (American Movie Classics) on the list for General Entertainment. It’s my favorite channel by far. You expect to see Disney on any “best” list a couple of times, and the Weather Channel as the best TV news channel makes eminent sense these days. The list is worth a look, perhaps on your next trip to a Krispy Kreme.
UPDATE —
Here’s some history of Krispy Kreme from coach4aday: https://coach4aday.wordpress.com/2018/07/20/krispykreme-eatitnc-july-20/