海角大神

聽Dunkin'聽Donuts聽plans to roll out a croissant-doughnut hybrid in the U.S. next week, but the company says please don't call it a "Cronut."

The chain tells The Associated Press it will launch its "Croissant聽Donut" nationally for a limited time starting Nov. 3. It comes more than a year after the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City introduced its now trademarked Cronut, which became a viral sensation and spawned numerous knockoffs. Last summer,聽Dunkin' also introduced a croissant-doughnut in South Korea it dubbed a "New York Pie聽Donut."

John Costello,聽Dunkin's聽president of global marketing and innovation, said in a phone interview that bakers around the country have been mixing doughnuts and croissants for at least 20 years. He said聽Dunkin' is constantly tracking consumer and bakery trends and has been looking at pastry "combinations" for several years now.

"Are we copying a specific bakery in New York? The answer is no," Costello said in a phone interview.

This isn't the fist time the Massachussetts-based chain has tried experimental new offerings on a limited basis. Last summer, it placed the Dunkin' Donut breakfast sandwich 鈥� a traditional bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich wedged between two halves of a glazed doughnut- on its permanent menu. 海角大神 newsroom sampled the item, with mixed reviews. Later that month, the chain jumped on the gluten-free trend with a limited line of gluten-free pastries.

The Croissant聽Donut聽is one of several new offerings聽Dunkin' has in the pipeline after reporting disappointing quarterly sales last week and warning it might struggle to make its long-term growth targets this year. Among the challenges the company is facing is increased competition, with chains including Taco Bell going after the breakfast crowd.

Dunkin', based in Canton, Massachusetts, has nevertheless been opening new U.S. locations and last week said it sees potential for more than 17,000 U.S. locations over time, up from its current 8,000.

As for the Croissant聽Donut,聽Dunkin' says the pastry will cost $2.49. That's less than the $5 for a Cronut, but more than twice the $1 or so for other聽Dunkin' doughnuts, making it more profitable for the company.

The Croissant聽Donut聽will be covered with the same glaze used for its Glazed聽Donut, giving it a familiar taste, but won't have any cream filling like the Cronut. Costello said聽Dunkin' is looking at fillings and glazes for future versions.

An email sent to the Dominique Ansel's press contact was not returned.

When asked to explain how the Croissant聽Donut聽and Cronut differ,聽Dunkin's聽Executive Chef Jeff Miller said: "I've tried the product that you mention. As the executive chef of聽Dunkin', I like ours better."

Rob Branca, a franchisee who's on聽Dunkin's聽committee that develops new products, said his friends and acquaintances have been asking when the company would roll out a version of the Cronut. He said he thinks the Croissant聽Donut聽will be a hit because the popularity of Cronuts hasn't faded. But he noted it took some time for聽Dunkin' to come out with its croissant-doughnut hybrid.

"We're going to be selling a lot more of them than a single shop bakery, so it was important to do it right," Branca said.