They put up the signs on the forthcoming Marana Krispy Kreme restaurant this week. It will take up a corner spot off Cortaro Road at Interstate 10 that served as home for a few years to It’s A Grind coffee shop.

Which begs a few questions from those of us who popped into that wonderfully welcoming coffee joint: Just where the heck are you gonna park?

Personally, after witnessing the tide of hamburger hungry humanity that packed the lots of the nearby In-N-Out Burger when it opened in late 2007, I am predicting complete and utter parking mayhem. There are only a smattering of spots in that little strip mall, which bustles with customers at the GameStop, Style America, Keva Juice, Alltell store and the delightful mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant Mantis Gourmet Chinese. When It’s A Grind was there, folks filled every spot, which can’t number more than a couple dozen. You could park in the adjacent Walmart lots, which could help burn some of the calories from those doughnuts.

I also wonder if Krispy Kreme will be able to show off its sugary wares as they come out of the hot oil, which is a big draw for the national doughnut chain. That would seemingly require a complete building makeover and given their rush to open by the end of the month, that seems unlikely. The space is a tight 1,500 square feet, which is significantly smaller than the free-standing buildings that briefly housed Krispy Kreme in its first run at Tucson a few years ago. Maybe they’ll do away with the dining room and extend the kitchen. That would make it more of a storefront, where you come in place your order and take it to go. Come to think of it, that might ease the parking crunch. Hmmm…

The Marana Krispy Kreme is franchised by Dan Brinton, who operates six Krispy Kreme shops in the Phoenix area.