NRN editors on food trends and the McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme dealNRN editors on food trends and the McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme deal

This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Bret Thorn discussed food trends.

NRN’s resident food trend expert, senior food and beverage editor Thorn, talked about what’s going on in drinks, pizza, snacks, and more. He covered what’s hot in the industry now and what you should be looking out for in the R&D pipeline.

Then, the editors talked about McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme’s deal. The fast-food giant officially inked a deal to sell Krispy Kreme donuts in all of its stores starting in 2026. As Krispy Kreme has been shuttering its own units, what does this mean for the donut brand? Will we see other top 10 chains begin to build out their snack offerings with partnerships as well?