Select McDonald’s Now Sell Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Here’s Where To Get Yours
McDonald's now offers Krispy Kreme doughnuts at about 160 locations in and around the Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky areas, but it is unclear whether the chain will begin selling them nationwide.
In October, nine McDonald’s restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky, started serving Krispy Kreme doughnuts, as a test run to see how the items would sell and how offering them would affect store operations. The tests were successful enough that McDonald’s is expanding the pilot to about 160 locations across Kentucky, primarily in Louisville and Lexington. The burger chain, long a fast food staple of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is hoping to increase its coffee sales by pairing them with fan-favorite Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
According to CNBC, the larger launch will take place on March 21, and select Kentucky McDonald’s restaurants will offer Krispy Kreme’s glazed, chocolate cream-filled, and chocolate iced with sprinkles doughnuts. Some adjustments have been made since the initial test, including a switch to the chocolate cream-filled doughnut instead of the raspberry-filled doughnut. The doughnuts were also previously available only in-store, but in March they’ll be available for delivery as well.
Both McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme have done well this year, despite the inflation that’s kept many consumers eating at home rather than at restaurants. McDonald’s has succeeded in large part because of their cheap deals, ever-changing but always popular with consumers—not to mention the exclusive deals available on the McDonald’s app daily. Krispy Kreme has managed to stay afloat as a relatively cheap option for a sweet treat; after all, it’s hard to beat a dozen doughnuts for as low as $7.99.
Krispy Kreme makes it doughnuts fresh daily at production hubs—either stores or factories—and distributes them to stores across the country, from gas stations to grocery stores to, now, McDonald’s restaurants. Krispy Kreme’s Chief Operating Officer has said that adding McDonald’s to their daily deliveries has not had a significant impact on day-to-day operations, and that adding the restaurants in shouldn’t be a problem in terms of either production or distribution. Thanks to the teamwork with Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s could soon be even more of a one-stop shop for all your caffeine, mealtime, and sweet treat needs.
To compete with other fast food options that specialize in coffee drinks, like Panera and Starbucks, McDonald’s has recently been putting more effort into diversifying and upgrading its coffee offerings. Their McCafé coffee beverage options now include everything from macchiatos to cappuccinos to flavored iced and hot lattes. Though McDonald’s might not be able to compete with a coffee giant like Starbucks in terms of quality or variety, they make up for it in price—a medium iced flavored latte from McDonald’s will run, on average, almost $3 cheaper than the equivalent drink at Starbucks.
McDonald’s is hoping that, by offering a classic coffee accouterment—Krispy Kreme doughnuts—they’ll boost their coffee sales as well, making McDonald’s a go-to quick coffee stop for Americans on the way to work or throughout the day. If you find yourself in Lexington or Louisville, stop by a McDonald’s for a latte and, just maybe, a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Get these classic treats while you can—there’s no guarantee this Krispy Kreme/McDonald’s mash-up will go nationwide.
