A fairly recent addition to the world of casual dining, partnerships between fast-food companies and snack food makers often turn out to be a genius marketing move, as they catch the attention of fans of each simultaneously.
The phenomenon really began when, in 2012, Yum! Brands (YUM)-owned Taco Bell launched the Doritos Locos Taco.
Demand for the taco shell made out of Frito-Lay's Doritos corn chips was so high that, within weeks, the Tex-Mex chain hired an extra 15,000 staff across the country.
Over the next 10 years, we also saw the snack/fast-food concept in everything from Restaurant Brand International's QSR Burger King's Mac N' Cheetos, Pizza Hut' Cheezit stuffed pizza and Papa John's PZZA Chili Fritos Pizza among many others.
What's The Snack/Fast Food Collab This Time?
This time, it's donut chain Krispy Kreme (DNUT) that's going the way of childhood snack nostalgia.
The beloved American donut chain just launched three donuts with the taste of General Mills (GIS)' Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
Available until May 5 (or, if the donuts turn out to be particularly popular, until supplies run out), the donuts come in three versions: Cinnamon Milk Glazed Doughnut, Cinnamon Milk Glazed Doughnut with Cream Cheese and Cinnamon Milk Glazed Doughnut with Dulce de Leche.
All three will have a glaze inspired by the cinnamon-tinged milk that children of the 1990s and early 2000s remember from their childhood, while the latter two will also have the iconic toast-shaped cereal pieces sprinkled on top of them.
"Pour on the yum with our three delicious flavors made with @cinnamontoastcrunch and Cinnamon Milk Glaze & topped with swirls of cream cheese icing & drizzled dulce de leche!" Krispy Kreme announced in an Instagram post on April 25.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool since, immediately after announcing the new donut collection, Krispy Kreme received thousands of posts about how the combination is "fire."
Snack Food Partnerships Keep Happening Because They Work
Die-hard fans will remember that this isn't the first partnership between Krispy Kreme and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Last September, the donut chain released a limited-edition cinnamon roll with pieces of the cereal sprinkled on top.
While Krispy Kreme has not released precise data on how well the cinnamon rolls sold, the return of the partnership indicates the demand for this type of product.
Some may be drawn to its for the taste of childhood nostalgia (if your parents let you eat such a sugary cereal for breakfast, that is) while others may simply be curious about what a cereal-flavored donut will taste like.
Aside from the Locos Tacos, one of the most ubiquitous snack/fast food flavors is Frito-Lay's popular Flamin' Hot Cheetos flavor — you've seen in Burger King's Flamin' Hot Mac N' Cheetos and Taco Bell Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos and the Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch – Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch.
While not every "they combined what?!" creation will be a hit, the internet attention such items generate can help get the chain trending and propel it to better sales.
"These are part of a long tradition of companies creating new, slightly outrageous, fast food and snack food combinations – more cheese, more meat, more layers, adding sauces, [or] Cheetos, for crunch and a pop of flavor," food historian Ashley Rose Young told BBC in 2019.
