Dunkin’ Donuts Faces off Against McDonald’s in Twitter Feud About Donut Fries

Dunkin’ Donuts is entering the fast food social media war, facing off against McDonald’s in the Donut Fries battle.

The beloved coffee chain took to Twitter on Monday, just weeks after McDonald’s added the breakfast item to its menu, to call the mega-chain out for its eerily similar product, which may or may not be a copycat of Dunkin’s Donut Fries.

“What a weird coincidence… @McDonalds came out with Donut Sticks, and we just released the blueprints to our new donut packaging…” the official Dunkin’ account tweeted, sharing a photo of the chain’s donuts packaged in boxes reminiscent of McDonald’s burger packaging.

The Golden Arches added Donut Sticks to its menu back in February, just in time for Valentine’s Day, stating that “donuts and coffee are a ‘perfect pair.’” Made fresh throughout the morning and never microwaved, Donut Sticks were said to be “hot, crispy and golden brown for a light and airy texture” and “sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a crunchy outside and soft, doughy inside.”

The snack was first tested in select Illinois restaurants in early 2018, and then again in October 2018 before finally finding a place on the menu nationwide for a limited-time run, coming in both the 6-stick and 12-stick variety.

The menu item followed the June 2018 addition of Donut Fries to the Dunkin’s Donuts menu, an item that had originally been tested in April and not only “quickly became one of the best-performing limited-time offer bakery items in recent brand history,” but also appear nearly identical to the recently introduced McDonald’s version.

Described as a hybrid combination of two of the nation’s most popular treats, french fries and donuts, the coffee chain created a “fun, easy-to-eat way to enjoy the delight” of doughnuts while on the run. The treat transformed the traditional donut into strips of fried croissant dough, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served warm.

Given the wide success of Donut Fries, Dunkin’ said that they were not surprised to find out that McDonald’s had taken notice and created a practically identical menu item.

“We’re not surprised to see competitors imitate our success with Donut Fries given their popularity with customers, and we will continue to lead the way in introducing fun, unique, delicious items that bring smiles and keep people energized any time of day,” a spokesperson told Boston.com.

McDonald’s has not engaged in the Donut Fries/Sticks battle waged by Dunkin Donuts.