Following a popular pastry hybrid by a New York bakery, Dunkin' Donuts will begin rolling out a combination croissant-donut for a limited time in the United States Nov. 3 onward, an official said Monday.
However, the company's president of global marketing and innovation denied that the fusion pastry is a copy of the New York-based Dominique Ansel Bakery's "cronut" and requested that it should be called "croissant donuts".
"Are we copying a specific bakery in New York? The answer is no," John Costello told the Associated Press, Time reports.
More than a year ago, in May 2013, Ansel Bakery introduced its "cronut", which soon became a sensation, the Associated Press reports.
The croissant-donut will be a "delicate and flaky croissant ring that is glazed like a donut," said Dunkin' Donuts' spokeswoman Michelle King, according to Reuters. The 300-calorie croissant-donut will also have 24 layers of buttery dough.
The pastry will be available for $2.49, which is half the price of "Cronut" but more than double of that of a normal doughnut that roughly costs $1.
Last summer, the Massachusetts-based chain's croissant-donut combination pastry was introduced in South Korea and was named the "New York Pie Donut".
Last week, Dunkin' Donuts reported below expectation quarterly sales and warned that it might struggle to maintain long-term growth targets this year. Introduction of the new croissant-donut is just one of the many new offerings it has planned.
Dunkin' has been opening outlets at new locations in the United States and said that it sees potential for more than 17,000 U.S. locations over time. Currently, it has 8,000 outlets across the nation.
