OAK BROOK, ILL. — McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme Donuts, Inc. are partnering to offer the latter’s donuts at nine locations in Louisville, Ky. Beginning Oct. 26, Charlotte, NC-based Krispy Kreme’s donuts will be delivered to participating McDonald’s locations daily and will be sold individually or in six packs in-restaurant and drive thru only.

Three varieties will be offered: The Original Glazed Donut, chocolate iced with sprinkles, and raspberry filled.

McDonald’s said it hopes to attract new morning customers with its limited test run of Krispy Kreme donuts. Krispy Kreme already sells donuts it makes in-store to third-party locations such as mass merchandise retailers and convenience stores.

“McDonald’s is always looking for ways to give our fans more of what they crave, and we often conduct tests to inform future menu decisions,” McDonald’s said. “This small-scale test will help us understand how offering new bakery items like Krispy Kreme could impact operations in our restaurants.”

The partnership is the first for Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s in the United States.

“This is our first partnership with McDonald’s in the US as we constantly look for new ways to increase access to fresh donuts through our delivered fresh daily network — a key element of our omnichannel strategy to attain 50,000 points of access globally,” Krispy Kreme said.

McDonald’s has been paying more attention to the breakfast daypart in recent years.

In a June 2021 presentation at the virtual Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference, Christopher J. Kempczinski, president and chief executive officer of McDonald’s, described breakfast as “probably the most time-sensitive, convenient-oriented daypart.”

Mr. Kempczinski attributed growth in breakfast to new menu items, including baked foods. In late 2020, McDonald’s added apple fritters, blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls to its all-day menu in the United States. The introductions marked the first addition of bakery items to the fast-food restaurant’s core menu in over eight years, according to the company. More recently, the company added the Glazed Pull Apart donut. Other baked foods already on the menu include cookies and pies.