Local Krispy Kremes to close

Just as Houstonist was beginning to take Hot Donuts Now for granted, all the Houston Krispy Kreme stores are closing. The six local Krispy Kremes will shut down March 6 as part of a legal settlement between Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and the Houston franchisee, Lone Star Doughnuts Ltd.

Lone Star had sued Krispy Kreme claiming that the company pressured Lone Star to open new stores and threatened to declare a default if the franchisee didn't do so. Lone Star also claimed Krispy Kreme forced it to buy unnecessary equipment and marked up the cost of goods and supplies. Officials with the franchisee weren't available for comment, but Krispy Kreme said it does plan to re-open stores in Houston at some point in the future.

So this brings up a crucial question: What's better, Krispy Kreme or Shipley's? As enticing as warm glazed Krispy Kremes are — and as fun as it is to watch them moving along the conveyor belt — we still favor Shipley's. Speaking of which, we're gonna go have a few right now ...