In 2001, Oklahoma got its first Krispy Kreme store, and we lost our damn minds. The idea of waiting two or three hours for franchise food feels ancient to me now, like something you’d see in the Russian news in the 1990s. But scarcity value is a hell of a drug. Just ask In-N-Out Burger (fine, not great), White Castle (will defend it to my grave) and QT (for those of us who aren’t originally from Tulsa).
I’m a doughnut shop contrarian in that my usual order is an apple fritter, making me out of touch with what doughnuts and normal people are up to these days. This puts me deeply in tune, though, with the magic aura of exclusivity, because sometimes doughnut shops are out of apple fritters.
The original business model of Super Secret Donuts (a concept developed through Kitchen 66) was a soft launch with a sprinkle of exclusivity: a smattering of infrequent but bustling doughnut pop-ups with lots of buzz, lots of social media presence and very long lines.
“People are waiting in line for donuts? And what kind of company sells out of product 28 minutes after opening?” said a bewildered stranger on Reddit.
Touché, guy. Would I wait two hours in a Krispy Kreme drive-through line? No. And now that I’ve tried Super Secret Donuts, would I wait two hours for one? Still no … but I would wait in line.
Good news for me and Reddit guy: we don’t have to anymore. SSD now has a regular presence inside Foolish Things Coffee Co. downtown, so anyone can stroll in during the comparatively luxurious business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
A pop-up restaurant has to tick a few boxes for me before I can get properly excited:
- Is it different than what I can get elsewhere?
- Is it better?
- If it’s more expensive, can I tell why?