McDonald’s announced today it is expanding its Krispy Kreme doughnuts test for a limited time. The test started in October at nine Louisville, Ky.-area McDonald’s restaurants and will now be available at 160 locations in Louisville, as well as nearby Lexington, Ky., starting March 21.
As part of the test, three doughnuts are available for purchase at participating McDonald’s locations, including Original Glazed, chocolate iced with sprinkles and chocolate iced Kreme-filled. They are available all day in-store, at the drive-thru, via delivery and on the McDonald’s app.
The company said the expanded test will provide information about operational impact on a larger scale and customer demand. We had the chance to order Krispy Kreme doughnuts from one of the initial test locations in Louisville, ordering a variety six-pack for $11.01. The speed of service didn’t seem to be impacted and the doughnuts were fresh. The companies note the doughnuts are delivered to McDonald’s restaurants fresh daily from area Krispy Kreme locations.
This go-round will be slightly different than the initial test, which were only available on-premises and at the drive-thru and which included raspberry-filled doughnuts versus the chocolate iced Kreme-filled option.
Notably, this test began as McDonald’s brought back its glazed pull apart donut for breakfast, lunch and dinner, however that item is no longer listed on the company’s national menu. It does, however, continue to sell apple fritters, blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing through its McCafé Bakery line. Should this test continue to expand, Krispy Kreme doughnuts will certainly complement that lineup and will also potentially boost sales in the breakfast and afternoon snack dayparts.
The expansion also comes as Krispy Kreme strives to expand its distribution channels, which now include 11,837 locations (as of Q4 2022), from its 2016 baseline of 4,800 locations. The strategy appears to be paying off, as Krispy Kreme recently reported 9.2% revenue growth and 15% sales per hub growth in North America.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]