Two Years After Fires, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Reopens on Ponce in Atlanta | Eater Atlanta

"After a two-year closure, I watched the “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign flick back to life on Tuesday, October 10 when the Shaq-owned Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon Avenue reopened in brand-new Midtown digs. The twice fire-ravaged shop, which first opened in 1965 and was purchased by Shaquille O’Neal in 2016 as part of a franchise deal (he remains a partial owner), replaces the old nostalgic design with a more modern, somewhat suburban-feeling look that brings in more natural light and adds more seating inside and outside. Some of the shop’s storied past remains: the iconic Krispy Kreme sign that stood outside for nearly six decades has been restored and a mural inside nods to the former building. The Ponce location suffered two separate fires in 2021 — investigators ruled the February fire arson, and a second July fire was deemed “suspicious,” leading to demolition and reconstruction — but it has returned; while the previous site had a 24-hour drive-thru and was the only kosher-certified location within city limits at the time of the first fire, the new drive-thru will not operate 24/7 though it remains kosher certified. Hours are Sunday–Thursday 6 a.m.–10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 6 a.m.–11 p.m." - Beth McKibben