Bobbie Goodrum has been serving up Krispy Kreme doughnuts for 22 years. Now, she plans to get married there.

by Kelly Drake . photo by Matt Rose

Bobbie Goodrum’s life has been one sweet journey. And if you’ve ever been to the drive-up window of the Krispy Kreme on Patton Avenue in Asheville, you can share it with her. If you make your way there often enough, she probably already knows your name—and your order. Some people’s quirky requests are a dead giveaway. Like Jeff, who pulls up regularly and asks for “Whatever’s the hottest and has caffeine with three sugars and four creams,” Goodrum recalls. Others are more common—just coffee, or doughnuts—but she still knows a regular when she hears one. “I know a lot of people’s voices,” she says.

Goodrum, who is 60 and moved here from New Jersey in 1976, will celebrate 22 years working at Krispy Kreme this month. Before the doughnut gig, she worked as an office manager for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance. When the Asheville branch closed and she could have moved to the Charlotte office, she chose to stay in Asheville.

Goodrum enjoys her job, and she always tries to smile. She’s always liked doughnuts but never expected to spend so many years serving them. Does she eat them herself? Of course. But she’s had to learn to slow down. “I got tired of buying bigger pants,” she says.

One thing her customers might not know about her: she’s engaged. Goodrum will marry Billy Williams, who she’s been dating for the past 28 years. They’re planning a smallish, low-budget wedding with a few friends and their minister. And the venue? Yep, you guessed it: they plan to tie the knot at the Patton Avenue Krispy Kreme. “There’s a lot of dough around here, but not a lot of money,” she jokes. They have yet to set the date, but Bobbie is sure their engagement won’t last as long as their courtship.

Let’s just hope Krispy Kreme’s cake doughnut comes in three tiers.