Farewell to a Fun Old Tradition

On my way back to the college from dinner last night, I noticed that the Krispy Kreme on Central Expressway in Plano had closed. While I guess that wasn't a complete surprise, since I never really saw the parking lot full of cars on many occasions, it was still disappointing; it's nice to have that occasional treat nearby when you want it.

Today's Dallas Morning News made note of the closing and also mentioned a few other recent ones for the company:

The Krispy Kreme on Central Expressway in Plano shut down this week, the latest of three underperforming local stores to close, said spokesman Brian Little. The Irving store closed in June, he said, and the Frisco store on Preston Road closed earlier this month.

Oh noes! Not the Frisco store!!

So why would I be concerned about a donut shop that's over 20 miles from my house? Well, there was this thing called the Trifecta; it warranted many posts in the early days of this blog. It involved my three favorite food indulgences in one sitting: Chipotle, Krispy Kreme and Starbucks. The "rules" stated that the three had to be within walking distance of each other, which also helped to counterbalance the extra caloric intake. To my knowledge, there were at least two places in the state of Texas where a Trifecta could be done: Frisco, just to the north of Stonebriar Centre; and Round Rock, near the intersection of I-35 and what's now known as the SH 45 Toll Road. (The Round Rock setup carried the distinct advantage of having the Chipotle located quite a bit farther from the other two, whereas the Frisco walk was shorter.)

There was even a protocol as far as order was concerned: First, a normal burrito dinner was consumed at Chipotle. Then, we would walk over to the Krispy Kreme and Starbucks (which, in both places, were within rock-throwing distance of each other). Donuts would be procured, then taken over to Starbucks to be consumed in tandem with the coffee. The Starbucks portion was usually the longest and most relaxing part of what was always a great hang.

Now I'm sure that any member of the Food Police reading this blog would immediately harp on the unhealthiness of all this. My reply would be, "well, duhhh; that's why we only do it a few times a year." And this was true; it was generally part of a birthday celebration, with the honoree not having to pay for anything during the event. There were maybe four of us who did this on a regular basis, so it was a fairly infrequent occasion, since our birthdays are spread out during the year. (Not to mention that one of the guys, who preferred Panda Express to Chipotle, would take advantage of the Panda located right between the Starbucks and the Krispy Kreme in Frisco to have a "Chifecta" when his birthday came up.)

In the past few years, as life has gotten busier, the trips to Frisco became fewer and farther between (one friend and I figured we were at least two Trifectas behind apiece). In the meantime, the Round Rock Krispy Kreme closed and was replaced with a jewelry store (I'm assuming they didn't keep the drive-thru), so that option--usually taken advantage of on trips to State Solo and Ensemble--went away. And with the news of Frisco's closing, I guess that pretty much shuts the door on future Trifectas, unless we find somewhere else that we all happen to be where this delicious convergence takes place.

Incidentally, the linked article notes that the remaining DFW area Krispy Kremes are in good shape (including the original area location in south Arlington, home of many a stop after a Rangers game). The company is hoping to have these outlets purchased by a franchisee, and it would not be until then that any possible expansion would take place. (If that happens, I'd encourage them to build one in Firewheel, where a Trifecta would be within walking distance of my house. And make no mistake--I would likely walk if it were that close.)