McDonald’s is saying goodbye to baked goods after a brief run. 

The chain’s McCafé lineup—the Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin, and Cinnamon Roll—will soon be removed from restaurants nationwide, the company confirmed to multiple media outlets.

“We’re always listening to our fans and adjusting our menu based on what they crave. Starting this month, we’ll be phasing out our McCafé Bakery line-up, including the Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin and Cinnamon Roll,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “We know goodbyes are never easy—but fans can still satisfy their sweet tooth with our iconic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Baked Apple Pie and frozen desserts at restaurants nationwide.”

The McCafé products rolled out in October 2020, more than six months after McDonald’s removed its All-Day Breakfast platform to improve execution. It was the first time in eight years that the chain added bakery items. Over the past few years, other sweet treats have made appearances, like the Cheese Danish and Glazed Pull Apart Donuts. All of the McCafé items were available morning through night. 

The release was meant to put some momentum behind McDonald’s breakfast segment, which historically mixed 25 percent. Part of the reason for lagging traffic was increased competition, especially from Wendy’s diving headfirst into breakfast in March 2020. Then McDonald’s CFO Kevin Ozan said “In July [2020] breakfast was “disproportionately impacted by disruptions to commuting routines and, while weekend recovery is still lagging weekday recovery, the gap is narrowing.”

The removal comes as McDonald’s tests selling fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts at more than 150 restaurants in the Louisville market. Although the snack chain hasn’t provided financial specifics about how the pilot was progressing, CEO Michael Tattersfield gave positive feedback to investors back in May: It’s a great partnership,” he said. “We love the way we’re working with [McDonald’s]. But obviously, they’re being thoughtful about things that are important to them, and we’re focusing on the things that we can control.”

McDonald’s began serving breakfast in 1971 with the Egg McMuffin. Breakfast burritos arrived in 1991; McGriddles in 2003; and McCafé in 2009 with Premium Roast Coffee.

In the first quarter, U.S. same-store sales lifted 12.6 percent year-over-year and the brand gained share across all income groups, including lower-tiered consumers. McDonald’s will report second-quarter earnings on July 27. 

Fast Food, Menu Innovations, Story, McDonald's