Hundreds of doughnut lovers lined up along a downtown Moscow street, steps away from Red Square, as American franchiser Krispy Kreme opened its first cafe in Russia in September.

      Later Krispy Kreme expects to open 40 locations in the Russian capital under a franchising deal with famed restaurateur Arkady Novikov, whose eponymous holding already runs about 50 restaurants in the country, including some of Moscow’s highest-end dining spots.

      The 300-square-meter flagship cafe placed at Nikolskaya Street 4/5, beside the historic GUM shopping mall, hopes to attract local shoppers and tourists both with a classic doughnut assortment and with a chocolate-nut version conjured up especially for the Russian palate.

      One draw is that the doughnuts are baked at the cafe, right before customers’ eyes, circling around a glistening metallic conveyer in the glassed-off “doughnut theater.”

      Prices at the new cafe seem to support Moscow’s reputation as one of the world’s most expensive cities, as a single doughnut in Moscow going for about $2 (60 rubles) and an assorted dozen for almost $15 (480 rubles).

      North Carolina-based Krispy Kreme, founded in 1937, began its international expansion 10 years ago and now counts some 550 doughnut cafes abroad, with Russia becoming the 23rd country of presence, global director Jeffrey Welch said at the crowded opening Thursday.