22-Year-Old Wins Year’s Worth Of Rise ‘n Roll Doughnuts
Posted
Dan Spalding-dspalding@timesuniononline.com
Scott Flannery, a 22-year-old chef who works at Zimmer Biomet, has a thing for Rise ’n Roll doughnuts.
Flannery, of Warsaw, was first in line for the Warsaw store’s 7 a.m. grand opening today after taking his spot almost 16 hours earlier, fueled by the promise of a dozen free doughnuts every week for a year.
Minutes after he arrived, just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Lisa Bradley and her three daughters showed up, feeling slightly perturbed that they were not first in line, but reassured they would qualify for free doughnuts and a chance to sink their teeth into the regionally renowned cinnamon caramel goodies, known by some as Amish crack.
And there was drama.
A disgruntled Kerrigan Smith, of Bourbon, said she arrived at 2:30 p.m., but lost her spot because she was in her truck when Flannery and Bradley showed up.
It boiled down to the old adage, “Move your feet, lose your seat.”
“I’m not happy about it,” she said.
Regardless, all of the early arrivals paid the price as overnight conditions created a variety of wintry weather.
Standing outside the store at 2568 Walton Blvd., Flannery wore coveralls and a knit hat. He set up a small tent and was able to get a few hours of sleep. His only regret, he said, was not wearing warmer shoes.
“It’s been windy, rainy, snowy, wet and icy,” Flannery said.
Bradley and her daughters had a large umbrella and chairs, but they still got soaked. They ended up buying fresh clothes at the nearby Walmart and changed in their car.
“We were drenched,” Bradley said.
The nasty weather, though, was met with a sense of excitement.
Employees from the nearby UPS Store provided pizza Thursday night for the small group that assembled early.
Much of the crowd, maybe two dozen people, started arriving after 3 or 4 a.m. today.
When the time arrived, executives of the company — Ed Lloyd, director of manufacturing, and Russ Crawford, the company’s general manager — opened the doors for a line of about 50 people shortly after a ribbon cutting inside the store.
As Flannery and others began entering, the store, they were greeted with coupons and samples.
One customer inside could be seen doing a happy dance, and a motorist outside yelled, “Woo-hoo, Rise ’n Roll,” as he looked for a parking spot.
Flannery, who cooks for executives in Zimmer Biomet at the company’s downtown headquarters, describes himself as a doughnut enthusiast.
“Love the doughnuts, love the business. They’re a good company. Good products, good values,” he said.
He said he got his first taste of a Rise ’n Roll doughnut about three years ago.
“I was a pretty diehard Krispy Kreme fan until I had Rise ’n Roll, and I’m not sure I’ve had a Krispy Kreme since,” he said.
