Krispy Kreme And McDonald’s Pause On Their Doughnut Deal in New Jersey

The doughnut dream at McDonald's is on hold. Dive into the reasons behind this surprising decision and what it means for both brands.

While grabbing your coffee this morning at the McDonald's drive-thru, you might want to grab a Krispy Kreme doughnut for one of the last times.

Last year Krispy Kreme teamed up with McDonald's. These two companies announced back in March their partnership and by the end of 2026, Krispy Kreme doughnuts was supposed to be in all U.S. McDonald's locations.

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Krispy Kreme and McDonald's has put a hold on the partnership, just announced this week. So, what happened? I would think this was a brilliant idea.

From foxbusiness.com, Krispy Kreme CEO Josh Charlesworth said during an earnings call: "I remain confident in the long-term national opportunity, but we need to work together with them to identify levers to improve sales, simplify operations, and once we’re positioned for profitable growth, we’ll expand further." Krispy Kreme CEO continued saying that the demand dropped below expectations after the initial launch.

Fox Business also states, fast-food restaurants have seen sluggish sales and McDonald's sales fell in the first quarter, the biggest drop since the pandemic five years ago.

When the collaboration came together last year it was a big success when Krispy Kreme started delivering to select McDonald's.

Did you ever grab a Krispy Kreme donut at McDonald's? I never did. Krispy Kreme is looking forward and being optimistic for the continuation of the partnership.

Wow, I'm a little surprised, I'm not sure why but other so-called fast-food establishments like Starbucks and Domino's Pizza, but all sales are down, according to foxbusiness.com.