Krispy Kreme set to roll into town

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 11:56 a.m.

If you have a sweet tooth and you live in North Las Vegas, you're in luck.

Krispy Kreme doughnuts has sweet-talked its way into the city, and may soon be coming to a shopping center near you.

The North Las Vegas Planning Commission took the first step to bringing the doughnut chain to the city Wednesday night, when it approved a site plan, which would place the store at the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Craig Road. The only thing the members objected to was a lack of samples.

Residents from the South call Krispy Kreme doughnuts a religious experience, and eager Las Vegans lined up for hours when the first store in the area opened at 7015 W. Spring Mountain Road in March 1998.

Since then, two more shops have been added; one at the Excalibur hotel-casino and another at the Texas Station hotel-casino.

Elizabeth Myers stood in line with at least a baker's dozen of doughnut aficionados at the Excalibur Wednesday, waiting for a bite.

They are "absolutely unbelievable," the Georgia resident said about the glazed doughnuts being paraded before the waiting customers.

Owner Lincoln Spoor said jokingly that what draws more than 10,000 people to Las Vegas area stores a day is "our secret addictive ingredient."

But seriously, he said, "I think it's the whole experience of being able to see doughnuts being made, and the experience when they walk in the door and know the doughnuts are fresh."

The recipe for success began in 1937 when the first store opened in North Carolina. The chain has since expanded to 130 stores from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.

Construction in North Las Vegas should begin after the New Year, and doughnuts are expected to be rolling off the line by March.