Bye-bye, Krispy Kreme. Riverbank shop closes, though a new area site may be coming
The next time you want a Krispy Kreme doughnut, you're going to have to drive all the way to Stockton — at least for the time being.
The Krispy Kreme in Riverbank's Crossroads Shopping Center is shutting down after Wednesday. Representatives from the Southern California-based WKS Restaurant Group and its Hot Glazed Enchantment, Inc. — which owns several Krispy Kreme franchises including the local site — confirmed the store's closure and said in a statement to The Bee that they are looking for a larger location in Modesto.
"Effective May 2, 2018, Hot Glazed Enchantment, Inc. permanently closed its Krispy Kreme Doughnuts location in Riverbank, California. It was a difficult business decision because the closure impacts the lives of our team members and our guests. We thank the Riverbank community for their support and our team members for their hard work and have made transfer opportunities available to those team members who were interested. We are pleased to report that we are looking for the right opportunity to open a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts factory location in the Modesto area in the near future."
The Riverbank location in the Crossroads center debuted in 2013. The shop, which was open to walk-in or drive-thru service, sold the company's signature doughnuts as well as coffee and other specialty drinks. But the store did not make its doughnuts in house, instead getting fresh shipments of pastries baked at the Stockton location daily.
WKS representatives did not have more details to share on a potential Modesto location. But they confirmed any future location in the region would make the doughnuts on site.
This is the second Kripy Kreme in the region to close its doors. The first was a Modesto store, the first to open in Stanislaus County. The location at the busy intersection of Briggsmore and Orangeburg avenue just off the Highway 99 exit opened to long lines of cars and customers in 2001. But then in 2005 it closed for undisclosed reasons.
Both the Riverbank and Stockton Krispy Kremes are owned by WKS Restaurant Group, which also owns franchises for Wendy's, Denny's and El Pollo Loco, among others. Richard Raybon, assistant manager at the Krispy Kreme on March Lane in Stockton, said all eight employees at the Riverbank site have been offered transfers to his store.
The Riverbank Krispy Kreme site has been up for lease since at least January, with a posting on the CoSol Commercial Real Estate site. The listing promotes the location's corner location and drive-thru.
Aside from Stockton, the next closest Krispy Kreme locations are in the Bay Area and Fresno.
This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Bye-bye, Krispy Kreme. Riverbank shop closes, though a new area site may be coming."