It never issued a formal grade, but Krispy Kreme’s announcement it was closing six test factory stores in Wal-Marts indicates the doughnut chain was not giving itself any gold stars for the exercise. Why did Krispy Kreme’s factory store test in Wal-Mart fail?

The lines have been drawn. Kids support Krispy Kreme’s efforts to improve the academic performance of the nation’s youth (at least Palm Beach County, Fla.) and parents and educators are dubious, to say the least. The doughnut maker is running a promotion that will give a free doughnut for every A (limit of six) students in kindergarten through sixth grade get on their report cards. What grade would you give Krispy Kreme’s free doughnuts for an A promotion? Why?

One day after announcing he was leaving his position as chief operating officer of Krispy Kreme, John Tate was publicly named as the new COO and executive vice president of Restoration Hardware. Mr. Tate’s decision to leave comes along with a series of disappointing financial reports and an informal inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission into how the company accounted for reacquired franchises. What do you think is really going on at Krispy Kreme? What does the company need to do to put an end to concerns that it is in more trouble than it is publicly letting on?

Krispy Kreme has been blaming reduced levels of performance on the popularity of low-carb diets, but is there more to the story than this? As a report in USA Today suggests that Krispy Kreme’s numbers may be down because the novelty of the sugar-drenched treats has worn off with consumers. What are your thoughts on what’s right and/or wrong with Krispy Kreme and where the company and brand should go from here?

Krispy Kreme is open for business in Arkansas with the accompanying television coverage, traffic jams, and long lines outside the donut chain’s new location in Little Rock. How does (and will) Krispy Kreme maintain its marketing mystique?

According to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal, Krispy Kreme’s biggest franchisee, Great Circle Family Foods LLC had a decline of 10 percent in same-store sales last quarter. What are your thoughts on the lower same-store sales for Krispy Kreme reported in the WSJ article?

Krispy Kreme plans to open and test three different store formats in Wal-Mart stores and supercenters, reports the Associated Press. What are your thoughts on the Krispy Kreme/Wal-Mart test?

Krispy Kreme opened its first store in Massachusetts, home state of Dunkin’ Donuts, yesterday to the usual fanfare associated with the doughnut store chain. John Glass, a restaurant analyst, believes the Krispy Kreme versus Dunkin’ Donuts story is much ado about very little. He pointed out that 90 percent of Krispy Kreme’s sales come from doughnuts while coffee is the real draw of Dunkin’ Donuts. Are shoppers at Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme the same consumer?

An article on the Multex Investor web site, says that Krispy Kreme’s decision to sell its doughnuts in other outlets will hurt its ability to expand its own store network. Is Krispy Kreme overextending itself?

Krispy Kreme opened its first outlet in Minneapolis last week. Strong media
support helped lure some 600 devotees, who waited in line for hours, many overnight. How has Krispy Kreme created “Raving
Fans”? How can managers create and have associates buy in to a culture of customer
service?