Well, there is the case of Massachusetts-based Mister Donut, which is thriving in Japan (and elsewhere), but one store remains in the US. By the 1980s it was so bad that you entered a Mister Donut at your own peril. I remember the one in Route 9 in Natick, which had all of the lights of the "Mister Donut" blown out, so it spelled "Ut", and when you entered you were faced with homeless people sleeping on the tables and a toothless bearded hag manning the counter with the finest Massachusetts service you can imagine. The remaining donut flavors were wood, corn, liver, and vanilla, and of course they were out of vanilla.

On my first trip to Japan in 1985, I entered one of the Mister Donut's stores and was blown away by the contrast. Clean, well-lighted stores with pleasant sit-down areas, prompt service from young fresh-faced Japanese sweeties in uniform, and porcelain flatware!