It’s good news for American fast-food lovers as McDonald’s just signed a beneficial deal with Krispy Kreme that will surely attract more customers.

McDonald’s first location started business in 1940. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most popular fast-food chains in America, with more than 13,000 restaurants nationwide.

Sadly, McDonald’s shut down 200 of its restaurants last year, leading some to wonder if the super-chain is struggling more than it’s letting on. In a move that supports this theory, McDonald’s recently made a surprising announcement: They are now working with Krispy Kreme to sell its fresh doughnuts during breakfast by 2026.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the American economy hard, closing thousands of corporate-run and family-owned stores forever.

Fast food chains witnessed a significant drop in sales, and hundreds of locations were closed. McDonald’s was one of the businesses that took a big hit as a result, closing 200 of its stores by the end of 2023. However, according to the stock market, McDonald’s continues to make immense profits for itself and its shareholders.

One of the reasons McDonald’s has stayed so consistently profitable for nearly a century is how incredibly consistent it is in its products. Regardless of what you order from anywhere in the world, McDonald’s tastes like McDonald’s.

Additionally, while McDonald’s occasionally adds specialty or seasonal items, the general menu has barely had any changes made to it for decades. The biggest change the company made was in 1972 when it introduced the now-beloved breakfast menu.

The schedule can change depending on the store, but most McDonald’s locations serve breakfast until 10:30 or 11:00 AM, and some people don’t like missing their Sausage Muffin or fluffy pancakes in the morning.

According to Forbes, breakfast sales account for a whopping 24% of McDonald’s total sales in the USA. In 2021, that was $2.2 billion. This means that breakfast is important not just to McDonald’s customers but also to the business’s success.

Since breakfast is so lucrative, McDonald’s has devised a new plan to ensure that morning sales increase rather than stagnate in the coming years.

This time, the plan includes not just a specialty menu item like cinnamon pancakes. It involves an entirely new partnership with America’s beloved Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

It all began in 1937 when Vernon Rudolph started selling his homemade doughnuts to local grocery stores in North Carolina. By the 1960s, Rudolph’s company, Krispy Kreme, had expanded, with its stores springing up all over the country.

The Krispy Kreme has a simple formula. Rudolph created a factory that made the perfect doughnut mix, which was then delivered to the stores to ensure that Krispy Kreme doughnuts of the same quality could be baked fresh every morning.

As of March 2024, there are 357 Krispy Kreme locations throughout the US, which is quite a small number compared to most other restaurant chains like Dunkin’, which has 9,593.

However, the few locations actually make Krispy Kreme feel unique to Americans. It is not something everyone can get every day, but whenever you come across a Krispy Kreme store, you pull over immediately to stock up.

McDonald’s has a far wider reach than Krispy Kreme, with over 13,000 restaurants scattered around the country. However, Krispy Kreme has something that McDonald’s has never had – an air of exclusivity.

Now, it seems that McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme’s senior management have realized that they could be truly unstoppable together and have thus formed a partnership.

On March 26, 2024, McDonald’s announced that starting this year, McDonald’s locations around the country will serve freshly baked Krispy Kreme doughnuts during breakfast and throughout the day.

They tested the partnership first in Kentucky by offering Krispy Kreme doughnuts at 160 McDonald’s locations. According to the announcement, “consumer excitement and demand exceeded expectations,” so now, they say all participating restaurants will be serving the sweet treats by the end of 2026.

According to the announcement, McDonald’s restaurants will not be in charge of making the doughnuts every day. Instead, Krispy Kreme will deliver them fresh, meaning there will be a limited supply at every location daily.

It also noted that the Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled flavors will be sold individually and in the classic 6-doughnut box.

According to what Krispy Kreme President and CEO Josh Charlesworth told Businesswire, he and the company are downright ecstatic about the new partnership.

He said, “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.”

In business, it does not happen often that a partnership benefits both parties perfectly. But in this case, that is precisely what happened. Krispy Kreme gets thousands of new locations to sell its doughnuts, and McDonald’s gets a new reason for potential customers to visit its restaurants.

Thanks to this deal, the two businesses expect a significant profit increase over the next few years. But those the partnership will benefit the most are Americans who would love Krispy Kreme doughnuts alongside their McDonald’s coffee.