Shaquille O’Neill, NBA star, is also part owner of a historic Krispy Kreme location in Atlanta, Ga. From an announcement on the rebuild of the ailing location, details state that they’re in the early stages of rebuilding the donut shop and that the process has an estimated price tag of $1,400,000. (Courtesy of: Axios).
The location on Ponce De Leon Ave, was sadly destroyed by two different fire incidences in 2021 that were concluded to have been arson.
The damaged shop was taken down and in it’s place, a temporary solution erected in the form of a small Krispy Kreme drive-thru pop-up.
The Krispy Kreme, which opened in 1965 – gained notoriety after the location supplied Martin Luther King’s funeral service with 150 dozen donuts.
The location kept its iconic appearance throughout the years; with the original sign from the 1960’s never receiving a modern update.
Shaq expressed his excitement for the rebuild on Facebook: “Can’t wait to turn on the Hot Light at our brand-new Ponce shop this summer,” he said.
The plans for the “new Krispy Kreme would include: a 24/hour drive-thru service, and retro signage and décor.
Mixed reactions from Twitter were lighting up feeds from the news:
A news release on Krispy Kreme’s website calls the project, Shaq’s Shop, and noted: “We’ve struck a balance of modernization and honoring the historical significance of our Ponce shop’s location. We think our fans are going to love it.”
This is not the first time that Shaq has dipped his basketball into a fast food franchise. The NBA star has also partnered with Papa John’s, even so far as being featured in promo’s and commercials for the pizza chain.
Now if only Shaq could reprise his Genie role from Kazaam, snap his fingers, and grant every fan of Krispy Kreme…a location in their neck o’ the woods!
