McDonald's Might Be Discontinuing a Fan-Favorite Menu Item
Krispy Kreme and McDonald's have paused the expansion of their partnership to reassess their rollout strategy.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts are currently available in about 2,400 McDonald's locations, mostly in the Midwest but now, no new locations will be added in 2025.McDonald's fans know they have plenty of menu options they can count on. Happy Meals stuffed with collectibles, decadent McFlurry treats, and of course, the classic Big Mac have been around forever—and let's not forget the chain's impressive drink selection.
That's all to say, when items are discontinued, it can cause a real uproar. Customers were not pleased when McDonald's removed its Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait and Fried Apple Pie, not to mention those Chicken Selects.
Sometimes, customers are lucky enough to see certain offerings make a comeback, like the Snack Wraps everyone's been anxiously awaiting (due any day now!) and the beloved Selects strips. Then there are items quietly taken away without us even having one last chance to enjoy them.
The latest limited-time treat hasn't been around for long and is only available in select locations, but it's part of a promising partnership between Krispy Kreme and McDonald's that's now on pause as the companies reassess their strategy.
Krispy Kreme recently stated in its first quarter 2025 financial report, released earlier this month, that it will not be expanding its partnership with McDonald's.
The report states that as of March 30, 2025, Krispy Kreme doughnuts are available in 2,400 McDonald's restaurants. However, the company is "reassessing its deployment schedule' with the burger chain and "does not expect to launch in any additional restaurants in the second quarter of 2025."
McDonald's and Krispy Kreme started their partnership in 2024 when Mickey D's added Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the menu in Louisville, Kentucky locations. Around that time, the doughnut brand said it had plans to bring its popular confections to McDonald's restaurants nationwide by the end of 2026, giving customers all over the country opportunities to enjoy an Original Glazed Doughnut, the Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut, or the Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled Doughnut with their burger and fries.
Krispy Kreme stated in its financial report that although it "continues to believe in the long-term opportunity of profitable growth through the U.S. nationwide expansion, including McDonald's," it is withdrawing its prior full-year outlook and will not update it due to the "macroeconomic softness and the uncertainty around the McDonald's deployment schedule." This comes after McDonald's earnings release for the first quarter of 2025, in which the brand reported a 3.6 percent sales drop in the U.S.
While we're sad to see this partnership crumble before it really got rolling, it's not all bad news for McDonald's fans looking for something sweet. The home of the Big Mac recently launched its Chocolate Chip Frappé with the help of Hershey, and there's always the McDonald's Cotton Candy Sprite hack built by loyal customers. If nothing else, we can only hope Krispy Kreme and McDonald's find their way back to each other again—nationwide, this time.
Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
McDonald's to suffer massive boycott from customers
Over the past year, McDonald's (MCD) has struggled to resonate with consumers after facing backlash for dramatically hiking its menu prices during inflation. To add fuel to the fire, it also suffered a temporary E. coli outbreak in a few of its restaurant locations in October, further scaring away customers. Amid these challenges, McDonald's sales have declined over the past few financial quarters, despite its efforts to win back customers with menu changes and deals, and the trend continued during the first few months of this year. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter McDonald's first-quarter earnings report for 2025 revealed that its U.S. comparable sales decreased by 3.6% year-over-year. This contributed to the company facing a 3% year-over-year decline in its operating income, which is its profit after paying operating expenses. Related: McDonald's CEO sounds alarm on major customer problem Also, according to recent data from the number of customers that visited McDonald's stores during the quarter fell by 2.6%. During an earnings call on May 1, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the "impact of inflation and heightened anxiety about the economic outlook" impacted sales during the quarter. "We entered 2025 knowing that it would be a challenging time for the QSR industry due to macroeconomic uncertainty and pressures weighing on the consumer," said Kempczinski. "During the first quarter, geopolitical tensions added to the economic uncertainty and dampened consumer sentiment more than we expected." As McDonald's struggles to attract customers to its restaurants, it has another major problem on its hands that threatens to impact sales. Between June 24 and June 30, the fast-food chain will face a major boycott from customers, which The People's Union USA is organizing. The group previously organized boycotts of Amazon, Walmart, and Target earlier this year. In a recent Instagram post, The People's Union USA founder John Schwarz said that the group is calling for a boycott of McDonald's for five reasons. First, he alleges the fast-food chain pays "less in taxes than the people serving their food." "McDonald's benefits from loopholes and offshore tax havens, allowing them to pay a fraction of what they should," he wrote in the post. "Meanwhile, their minimum wage employees pay more in effective taxes than the billion-dollar corporation they work for." Related: McDonald's announces major store change to win back customers Second, he claims McDonald's is "one of the worst offenders of price gouging" as it has "dramatically raised prices in the last few years," despite raking in record profits. Third, Schwarz claims McDonald's "has a long history of anti-union tactics, silencing employees, and avoiding accountability." "They use franchise loopholes to dodge direct responsibility while lobbying against higher wages and benefits," wrote Schwarz. Fourth, he alleges that McDonald's exploits "global supply chains and environmental loopholes" as its supply chain is connected to "deforestation, poor labor conditions, and unsustainable agricultural practices." Fifth, he said McDonald's likes to "perform DEI for the cameras but fund the opposite." "While McDonald's runs DEI-focused ads, their political donations and lobbying often support candidates and legislation that undermine equity, labor rights, and marginalized communities," he wrote. The People's Union USA has been organizing "economic blackouts" of large corporations since February. So far, it has organized specific weeklong boycotts aimed at Amazon, Walmart, General Mills, and Target. Starbucks, Home Depot, and Lowe's are next on its list. According to the group's website, it aims to "expose corruption and exploitation" and "hold corporations accountable" through these boycotts. More Food + Dining: Domino's Pizza unveils generous deal amid alarming consumer trendSteak 'n Shake's beef tallow fries aren't as healthy as they appearThe Cheesecake Factory makes bittersweet changes to its menu "We're building a people-powered force that's not just pushing back, but preparing to take power back from the corporations, the billionaire class, and the political parasites that have been feeding off our work, our wages, and our rights for far too long," said The People's Union USA on its website. Amid heightened political tensions, more consumers nationwide are opting to protest with their wallets. According to a recent survey from CLYDE/Ipsos, 53% of Americans said that if a company takes a stand on an issue they disagree with, they are less likely to buy their products or use their services. Related: Dollar General suffers major boycott from customers The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Struggling restaurant chain likely to shut down or be sold
Sometimes, the small things get lost when owned by a large company. In multiple cases, Chipotle shut down nascent brands because it seemed impossible for them to grow to a point where they materially impacted earnings. That's also partially why McDonald's sold its stake in Chipotle, well before the Mexican chain became the giant it has grown into. McDonald's itself recently closed down its CosMc's experiment because it made more sense to integrate some of that chain's beverage menu into the core brand rather than growing another chain. Related: Taco Bell menu tries wild items, new kind of shell It's hard to be a small brand at a company that owns multiple larger brands, because it's not worth it for management to focus efforts on your growth. When a company owns multiple major restaurant chains with high growth potential, it may not be the right owner for a smaller, more niche chain. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter That's not a comment on whether than chain offers good food - McDonald's probably always liked the menu at Chipotle - but a decision as to where resources can best be used. Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) has come to that decision about one of its brands, and the end of that relationship may not be pretty. Darden has decided to walk away from the Bahama Breeze brand. That's something CEO Ricardo Cardenas talked about during his company's fourth-quarter earnings call. "We made the decision to close 15 Bahama Breeze locations in May, leaving the 28 highest-performing Bahama Breeze restaurants in our portfolio. After further review, we have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations and the Bahama Breeze brand are not a strategic priority for us. We also believe that this brand and these restaurants have the potential to benefit from a new owner," he shared. While a sale is a possibility, other options are being considered. "Consequently, we will be considering strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze, including a potential sale of the brand, or converting restaurants to other Darden brands. Excluding any onetime potential impacts, which are unknown as of today, we do not expect these strategic alternatives including a potential sale to have a material impact on our financial results," he added. The CEO offered more color on the decision to shut down or sell Bahama Breeze. "And then lastly, on the decision on Bahama Breeze, we have, when we look at our portfolio and we try to determine what brands we add to our portfolio, we have criteria. And [those] criteria should be what we look at to keep brands in our portfolio," he shared. More Food and Retail: Another healthy fast-food chain files Chapter 11 bankruptcyCostco quietly pulls popular product, upsets fansStarbucks brings back fan-favorite menu item after 2-year hiatus Bahama Breeze, he noted, no longer fits the criteria. "And we think that they have a lot of growth potential with another owner. We were not going to be putting a lot of investment into Bahama Breeze. And so to give those team members and those managers growth opportunities, it's better for them to be under a different ownership," he added. While Bahama Breeze did not meet Darden's criteria, its Italian restaurant chain, Olive Garden, has been adding locations around the world. The company has also sold some Olive Gardens to a franchise partner. "We also signed a definitive agreement to sell the eight Olive Garden locations in Canada to Recipe Unlimited, the largest full-service operator in Canada, and we are on track to close that deal soon. These eight restaurants will become franchised and upon close, Darden and Recipe Unlimited will enter into an area development agreement to open 30 more Olive Gardens over the next 10 years," Cardenas said. Those are not the only restaurant plans for Olive Garden and other Darden brands. "In addition to the agreement with Recipe Unlimited, we also have new agreements with partners in India and Spain, each of which calls for the development of 40 Olive Garden locations as well as an agreement with our existing Ruth's Chris franchise partner in Asia for the development of 6 Capital Grill locations," he added. Related: Popular BBQ chain closes almost all locations, no bankruptcy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Taco Bell menu tries wild items, new kind of shell
For anyone who consumes fast food regularly, it's likely you've already noticed that your favorite drive-through joint (along with all the others) are always offering up something new. The race to innovate and disrupt is present at pretty much all casual service chains. Sure, a customer might buy food or even become a regular. But if you don't offer new things, you risk losing their loyalty. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter You'd think McDonald's, the biggest of the fast-food giants, wouldn't have this problem, as its menu is full of classics that people have been buying for decades. But even this powerhouse chain is not immune. During its most recent earnings call, McDonald's reported a year-over-year decline in net revenue - $1.87 billion in Q1 2025, versus $1.93 billion in Q1 2024 - as well as a same-store sales drop of 3.6%. Related: McDonald's launches unusual new drink to recover customers While McDonald's attributed the drop to dampened consumer sentiment around geopolitical tensions, it's also known for being a more classic brand and experimenting in a more traditional way than some of its competitors. Swing the pendulum to the opposite side, and there you have Yum! (YUM) Brands-owned Taco Bell, which has done everything from create a taco using a Doritos shell to reimagining the tostada atop a giant Cheez-It. Now the chain is back at it with another wild invention, and this one might be even more unhinged than all the ones that came before it. In an Instagram post shared on July 18, food blogger Snackolator gave us a closer look at what Taco Bell is working on next: a taco with a shell made entirely of cheese. This is the Quesocrisp Taco that Taco Bell showed off at its Live Mas event a few months ago. The all-cheese shell is filled with a choice of beef or cantina chicken and topped with Jalapeno Ranch sauce. There are reports that this item has been popping up in the Orange County area, with some consumers taking to Reddit to post about their experience with the new taco. "Not that good," Reddit user Panda42 wrote in their post. "The quesocrisp they advertised at the Live Mas event was nothing like this, and only makes this even more disappointing. I'd rather pay $5 for a double-stacked taco instead of one of these again." Related: Taco Bell menu adds a popular McDonald's favorite Snackolator's post also mentioned the new Tacodilla, which is basically a very long soft taco that comes stuffed with steak, melted cheese, and a red chile sauce. This one has been spotted in Detroit, Columbus, and Toledo so far. Another Redditor tried out the Tacodilla, and the reviews were far better compared to the Quesocrisp. "Reporting in. The Tacodilla is amazing, and big," Reddit user 0pThomas_Prime wrote in a post from June 17. "Sorry I didn't have a banana for scale. Definitely going back for this. I know it's a bit pricey, but it's easily 2 chalupas worth of food. That sauce is tasty!" The Tacodilla originally appeared on Taco Bell's "Dreams" list during its Live Mas event, which meant the brand was unsure if the item would ever make it to the official menu - and now it has. While some other chains are reporting that customers are pulling back from eating out amid worries about economic uncertainty, Taco Bell doesn't seem to be having those problems. It reported a strong first quarter during its April earnings call, with U.S. same-store sales up by 9% in Q1, while system sales were up 11%. "A tough operating environment probably favors Taco Bell. It's just firing on all cylinders right now," Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs said during a June 18 earnings call. "Penetration is going up, bringing more customers into the brand with things like Cantina Chicken. Value stands out. And innovation - nobody else sells anything close to what we sell. We're in an enviable position," he said. Related: Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC face a major change The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
