Krispy Kreme opens tomorrow on Maui
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KAHULUI, Maui — Tomorrow's opening of the much-anticipated, much-hyped Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop in Kahului — the first in Hawai'i — will be a test of loyalty for patrons of two longtime Maui bakeries with statewide followings.
Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser
With a strategic location at a busy intersection leading to Kahului Airport, the newcomer just might tempt hungry commuters and interisland travelers in search of omiyage to abandon Komoda Bakery cream puffs and Home Maid Bakery mochi and manju.
Betty Shibuya of Komoda Store and Bakery in Makawao, Maui, shows off a tray of Komoda's famous cream puffs, doughnuts and other goodies.
"People are going to flock to Krispy Kreme. I'm predicting sales records," said Jeremy Kozuki, president of Home Maid Bakery in Wailuku, which also makes doughnuts and hot malassadas.
Kozuki said he's been thinking about this day for two years, and knows his business is going to take a major hit — not just in doughnut sales but items across the board.
"Most people aren't going to buy a couple of dozen doughnuts at Krispy Kreme and then turn around and buy something sweet over here," he said.
Up in Makawao, Komoda Store and Bakery manager Calvin Shibuya said the bakery will continue doing what it has since it opened in 1916: produce the same hand-made cream puffs, doughnuts-on-a-stick and other bakery treats that lure residents and visitors to make the drive Upcountry.
Shibuya, who said he tasted Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Las Vegas, is bracing for an initial drop-off in business and hopes to stay the course until the novelty wears off.
"They have a very good product. No doubt about it," he said. "But we also have a good product and a lot of good loyal customers."
Doors open tomorrow
Well-publicized health concerns about obesity and high-fat diets have not quelled Hawai'i's appetite for calorie-packed doughnuts.
Two years ago, the Pearl City Dunkin' Donuts shattered the opening-week sales record for 5,000 franchises in that company's 51-year history. It wouldn't be a stretch to expect Krispy Kreme to create similar bedlam on Maui, which doesn't have a Dunkin' Donuts yet.
Just in case, the company has hired off-duty police officers to direct traffic around the Kele Street location, on the corner of Dairy Road and the old Haleakala Highway. Reports from store openings in California and Washington indicate that customers waited overnight in their pajamas and in drive-though lines of more than 200 cars.
The doors at the Maui store will open tomorrow at 5:30 a.m., with the first dozen customers getting a free Krispy Kreme aloha shirt. Regular business hours will be 5:30 a.m. to midnight, with 24-hour drive-through service.
Kozuki, whose father started Home Maid Bakery 44 years ago, isn't simply going to cross his fingers and hope for the best. He plans to install an automated doughnut-making system, described as a miniature version of the one used by Krispy Kreme, at his Lower Main Street store within the next couple of months.
He's also talking about putting up a sign similar to the signature red neon "Hot Doughnuts Now" signs posted at each Krispy Kreme store, and is considering other promotions to get people through his doors.
"I'm not conceding them anything. It's just my nature," he said.
O'ahu stores planned
Gary Bowsher, market director for Hawai'i for franchisee KremeWorks USA, said there's plenty of doughnut business for all of the island's bakeries.
He said the company chose Maui for its first Hawai'i store because it was able to secure an excellent location and the opportunity presented itself here first. The company plans to open two more stores in Hawai'i in the next five years, both on O'ahu. Locations have yet to be secured, he said.
Outside Komoda's last week, Leslie Medeiros Jr. of Wailuku said he's been to Krispy Kreme on the Mainland and while they do offer an excellent product, Komoda's doesn't have too much to worry about.
"Their quality is really outstanding, and they have a lot of loyal customers," he said.
Medeiros, a Hana-born contractor, is one of them.
"If I'm up in Makawao, I'll stop by. It's almost guaranteed."
Jolyn Doran of Kahului said she visits Komoda's at least once a month. "I love their butter rolls," she said.
At the same time, she's looking forward to the opening of Krispy Kreme. In fact, the United Airlines employee recently took advantage of her flying privileges to travel overnight to Los Angeles specifically to bring back four dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to her Kahului Airport colleagues.
"They're good," Doran said. "But it's a different tasting doughnut. (Komoda) doesn't have to worry. They'll always have their local following."
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
