The company has seen its star rise as another doughnut chain, Krispy Kreme, has run into trouble.

Krispy Kreme, the doughnut chain, has opened a branch at 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

The doughnut chain also said the financing for the hostile tender offer of $43 a share was preliminary and subject to substantial conditions.

Mister Donut is one of the most popular doughnut chains in Japan.

Krispy Kreme, the doughnut chain, offers special-order "cakes" of stacked doughnuts decorated with nuptial ruffles and flourishes.

After Mr. Horton's death, his business partner, Ron Joyce, took over the doughnut chain and is now among Wendy's biggest shareholders.

Other doughnut chains in Canada and the United States sell virtually identical products, often called "doughnut holes".

The proposed deal included Denny's 1,185 family restaurants and its 42 percent stake in the Winchell's doughnut chain.

And there are rumors that Tim Horton's - the ubiquitous Canadian coffee and doughnut chain - is itching to get in.

The chain's slogan is "Home of the Warm 'n Fresh Donut," and it claims to be the West Coast's largest doughnut chain.