The partnership between Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s, which began as a test in Kentucky in 2022, will expand to Chicago-area McDonald’s restaurants starting Oct. 15. To celebrate the expansion, Krispy Kreme is giving away free Original Glazed doughnuts to customers who show a McDonald’s receipt at a Krispy Kreme shop nationwide from Oct. 10-14.
The McDonald’s/Krispy Kreme partnership is expected to go national by the end of 2026. During Krispy Kreme’s first quarter earnings call in May, president and chief executive officer Josh Charlesworth said Chicago was targeted as the next phase of expansion because it’s the home of McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme has three existing hubs and spokes in the area with excess capacity.
“The top request we receive from consumers is for more access to our delicious, fresh doughnuts. Having Krispy Kreme doughnuts under the Golden Arches is golden for our fans and we’re excited to celebrate by giving our guests who also visit a McDonald’s a free Original Glazed doughnut,” Charlesworth said in a statement.
The nationwide plan was announced in late March after about a year and a half-long test in select Kentucky McDonald’s locations that exceed expectations at both companies, according to Charlesworth. The test expanded to 160 locations in February 2023 and it continues to include Krispy Kreme’s most popular doughnuts – Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and Chocolate Iced Kreme-filled – delivered to restaurants every day. They’re available in-store and at the drive-thru, individually or in boxes of six, starting at breakfast and lasting throughout the day while supplies last.
Krispy Kreme expects a presence in more than 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants by the end of this year and a total of 12,000 by the end of 2026.
“We are very pleased with our partnership with McDonald’s. We expect to serve fresh doughnuts in more than 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants by the end of the year, add 5,000 in 2025, and 6,000 in 2026, bringing us to more than 85% of the U.S. footprint,” Charlesworth said during the company’s second quarter earnings call in August.
Krispy Kreme has a team working with the quick-service giant to ensure a seamless rollout and is hiring and training employees in manufacturing operations, upgrading its production lines, and optimizing its delivery logistics network with “improved routing” and fleet upgrades to make the McDonald’s rollout happen.
“We have a dedicated cross-functional team to make sure the facilities and our people are ready,” Charlesworth said. “We’re very focused on delivering a really high-quality service to the McDonald’s restaurants so that people get fresh doughnuts every day at the same quality level they expect in Krispy Kreme and other channels.”
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
