The McDonald’s menu has long been one of the constants in life.
While the menu has experienced slight changes with special items added and removed from time to time, the bulk of the fast food chain’s offerings have remained the same for decades.
And now McDonald’s just announced a historic menu shakeup that will leave your mouth watering.
Since the COVID pandemic, McDonald’s has scaled back its menu.
The fast food chain went to the basics of burgers and fries in a bid to simplify its operations.
Fan favorites like salads, chicken wraps, and chicken tenders were dropped.
And the breakfast lineup saw the McCafe line of apple fritters, blueberry muffins, cheese danishes, and cinnamon rolls phased out.
Now, the fast food giant is turning heads by adding doughnuts to its menu baked by a partner.
McDonald’s partnering with Krispy Kreme
McDonald’s will sell Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at its locations nationally by the end of 2026, according to releases from both restaurants.
That announcement comes after McDonald’s tested the concept at 160 locations in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky in February.
“The expanded test will help us learn more about operational impact on a larger scale as well as explore customer demand,” McDonald’s said about the test run.
Customers will be able to buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts in original glazed, chocolate iced with sprinkles, and chocolate iced kreme-filled varieties individually or in quantities of six.
The doughnuts will be baked off-site at Krispy Kreme bakeries for McDonald’s.
And they’ll be sold all day until quantities run out.
“Significantly, by making Krispy Kreme accessible to fans nationwide through this partnership, we expect to more than double our points of access by the end of 2026,” Krispy Kreme CEO Josh Charlesworth said. “The partnership accelerates the development of our existing Delivered Fresh Daily channel, creating operating leverage through distribution density and production utilization.”
The announcement caused shares of Krispy Kreme stock to jump by as much as 16% in premarket trading.
The 2026 launch date will give the doughnut chain time to ramp up its operations to meet the demand from McDonald’s.
Breakfast wars heating up between fast food chains
McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme’s partnership is a win-win for both companies.
Krispy Kreme can expand its business by partnering with a fast food giant, and McDonald’s can sell name-brand doughnuts to draw customers in during the increasingly competitive breakfast hours.
Rival Wendy’s previously announced that it was partnering with Cinnabon to add the Cinnabon Pull-Apart to its breakfast menu.
Wendy’s describes the Pull-Apart as an item that “takes the nostalgic, classic cinnamon roll and transforms the ooey-gooey center into bite-sized pieces.”
McDonald’s has seen its competitors, like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Subway, add breakfast to compete for the lucrative market.
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said during an earnings call that breakfast “is one of the most compelling levers when considering sales growth and margin acceleration opportunities.”
Fast food restaurants are bringing established partners to compete for customers’ breakfast dollars.
