Dunkin' Donuts Cashes In On the Cronut Craze
If you aren't one of the fearless pastry lovers determined enough to wait hours in line for Dominique Ansel's renowned creation, you might still be able to get your cronut fix.
Dunkin' Donuts is now whipping up their own hybrid twist of a donut and croissant: the "New York Pie Donut." The chain announced its new featured product less than two months after Ansel invented the cronut last May, thereby inciting hour-long waits outside his Soho bakery. Dunkin' is calling the creation by a different title to avoid infringing on Ansel's trademarked name. Now, the donut super chain is taking the cronut out of New York City and mass producing it around the world.
The cronut craze appears to be an example of globalization at its finest.
South Korea was the first country to welcome Dunkin's "New York Pie Donut" sensation in the capital Seoul as well as cities Gangnam, Jamsil and Myeongdong. The chain also introduced their "Donut Croissant" in Manila, Phillipines.
Whether or not Dunkin' Donuts plans to introduce its imitation cronut within the U.S. remains to be seen.
How is Dominique Ansel handling the news of the "New York Pie Donut?" It isn't his first time dealing with copycats, as he initiated a series of legal battles with other bakers who have attempted to capitalize on his craze. But the Cronut King has demonstrated that he is still a step ahead of competitors, introducing the "Croconut," a coconut-flavored twist on the original specialty.
Dunkin' is hardly the first competitor to attempt to recreate the cronut. BuzzFeed compiled a list of 61 cronut copies from accross the continental U.S. According to TIME, a number of immitation bakers have sold their takes on the treat in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, and Australia. Not to mention the black market that has arisen for professional "cronut buyers" to sell the coveted treats for as much as $60 a pop.
Ansel will still retain his prominence above the competition. While Dunkin' Donuts and competitors will continue trying to knock-off his creation, they have nothing on the original cronut, for which customers pay $5 a piece and are limited at two cronuts per person.
The overwhelming consensus is that Ansel's cronuts are not all they're hyped up to be, but it's hardly stopping thousands of people from waking up at the crack of dawn each morning to wait with mouths watering for a taste of the legendary pastry. Ansel has created something larger than a baked treat...he's created an overall experience.
Source: CrainsNewYork.com
If you're craving a cronut for the time being, it's still easier to wait in line at Ansel's Soho bakery than to travel across the Pacific for Dunkin' Donuts' imitation product.
