It's happening. Krispy Kreme is coming to Anchorage.
The franchise famous for its glazed doughnuts announced its first-ever Alaska store will have a grand opening event Aug. 30 in Muldoon. And the company is offering extra incentives to arrive well before that day's planned 5 a.m. opening.
After rumors swirled for years that Krispy Kreme would be coming to Alaska's largest city, the company finally announced in 2013 that it was joining forces with a local restaurant management group to open several stores in the Last Frontier.
But those desperate for a sugar-coated pastry fix ended up waiting nearly three years before their dreams would be realized. By early 2015, the franchisee hadn't even broken ground on a store in Anchorage, though a location was selected later that year.
That building, located on Grass Creek Road — off of DeBarr Road just west of Muldoon Road — is also expected to house a BurgerFi restaurant and a Body Renew gym.
Now, the store is finally ready for a doughnut-crazed populace to descend on its system of conveyor belts churning out fried treats in a Willy Wonka-esque factory of delight.
And there's a golden ticket for the first person in line: a dozen free glazed doughnuts every week for a year, Krispy Kreme said in its Facebook post announcing the opening. (That's 624 doughnuts — or 118,560 calories, based on the nutritional info at the Krispy Kreme website — for those keeping track at home.)
The next 99 people through the door will receive a dozen free doughnuts every month for a year, the company said.
To win the prizes, you'll have to register beginning at 3 p.m. Monday, the night before the grand opening. Then you'll have to wait in line until the opening 14 hours later. Anyone under 10 isn't eligible to win the door prizes.
Read the extra fine print at Krispy Kreme's event page on Facebook.