McDonald's USA, Krispy Kreme reveal expanded national partnership

The phased rollout will begin in 2H 2024 with national availability expected by the end of 2026.

courtesy of: Krispy Kreme

McDonald's USA and Krispy Kreme are teaming up for a national expansion. Fans will begin spotting Krispy Kreme doughnuts in their local McDonald’s restaurants later this year as part of a phased market rollout across the country. Nationwide availability at participating restaurants is expected by the end of 2026.

Three of Krispy Kreme’s most popular doughnuts will be delivered fresh to McDonald’s restaurants every day. They’ll be available individually, or in boxes of six, starting at breakfast and lasting throughout the day, while supplies last:

Original Glazed Doughnut: A melt-in-your-mouth doughnut covered in Krispy Kreme’s signature glaze. The doughnut that started it all.
The Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut: A chocolatey twist on the original, dipped in chocolate icing and covered in rainbow sprinkles.
The Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled Doughnut: Made with a light, fluffy dough and filled with a smooth Kreme filling, then dipped in chocolate icing.

This follows a successful test at 160 McDonald’s restaurants in the Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky areas where consumer excitement and demand exceeded expectations. These pilot restaurants will continue to serve Krispy Kreme doughnuts during the nationwide rollout.

“Since the launch of breakfast nearly 50 years ago, we’ve continued to offer new menu items, flavors and experiences that have made McDonald’s an irreplaceable part of fans’ morning routines,” said Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA’s chief marketing and customer experience officer. “This partnership is an exciting next step in that journey and a chance to unlock new business opportunities in the breakfast category and throughout the day. Our fans’ love for Krispy Kreme runs deep, and we can’t wait to make it even easier for them to satisfy their sweet tooth at McDonald’s restaurants across the country.”

“The top request we receive from consumers, every day, is, ‘please bring Krispy Kreme to my town.’ Partnering with McDonald’s on a national scale will provide our fans and doughnut lovers unprecedented daily access to fresh doughnuts and the joy that is Krispy Kreme,” said Krispy Kreme President and CEO Josh Charlesworth.

To celebrate this sweet partnership, Krispy Kreme will give one free Original Glazed Doughnut to all guests who visit U.S. Krispy Kreme shops between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. today (Tuesday, March 26).

Krispy Kreme more than doubles points of access

Krispy Kreme More Than Doubles Points of Access

“Significantly, by making Kreme Krispy accessible to fans nationwide through this partnership, we expect to more than double our points of access by the end of 2026. The partnership accelerates the development of our existing Delivered Fresh Daily channel, creating operating leverage through distribution density and production utilization,” said Charlesworth.

Krispy Kreme has been scaling its supply chain, building a support team, adding technology and new equipment, and enhancing field training to support its Delivered Fresh Daily expansion, which includes this phased rollout.

Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s will provide more details regarding the nationwide rollout in the coming months.

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Liz Parker Kuhn is the senior editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and has worked at BNP Media since 2012. She has written for CBS Detroit as well as for her own blogs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Liz can be contacted at (248) 839-7156 or at parkere@bnpmedia.com.