Why is There a Crispie Creme Donuts in Chillicothe?

If you’ve ever visited the city of Chillicothe and wondered why there is a Krispy Kreme location with a slightly different spelling, you’ve just uncovered a bit of doughnut-shop history. 

Jack Renison founded his Crispie Creme Donuts, in Mulberry, Kansas, in 1929, before heading east, opening shops in other states and eventually settling in Portsmouth, Ohio. 

When his wife wanted to start a family, Renison began selling some of those locations, according to Hallie Renison, Jack’s great-granddaughter and co-manager of Crispie Creme in Chillicothe. 

One of those buyers was Vernon Rudolph, who purchased the Puducah, Kentucky, Crispie Creme, changed its name a bit and grew it into the Krispie Kreme chain we know today. 

“He didn’t sell the recipe, just the building, more or less,” Hallie Renison says. “There were no animosities between my great-grandfather and Vernon. He was still a family friend before his passing.”

Jack’s son, Jim, opened his Crispie Creme in Chillicothe in 1954 and built its current location along North Bridge Street a decade later. Today, it is proudly owned by a fourth generation of the Renison family and still uses all the shop’s original doughnut recipes. 

“We have a lot of pride in what we do,” Renison says, “and hope to continue our legacy for many more generations to come.”

47 N. Bridge St., Chillicothe 45601, 740/774-3770 

For more Ohio food and drink inspiration, sign up for our Ohio Magazine newsletters.

Ohio Magazine is available in a beautifully designed print issue that is published 7 times a year, along with Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter editions of LongWeekends magazine. Subscribe to Ohio Magazine and stay connected to beauty, adventure and fun across our state.