Hot glazed donuts are on the menu, and Parisians can’t get enough of them

As dawn broke in central Paris on Wednesday, a crowd of 500 people, mostly French, stood with unusual patience in a winding line, intent on buying a decidedly un-French delicacy: an American doughnut. A hot, glazed Krispy Kreme donut, to be precise.

It was the chain’s grand opening in France, and customers — dozens of whom had spent the night — watched through a giant window as a conveyor belt brought fried dough to a waterfall of sugary icing. When the doors opened, they poured in, ordering dozens of donuts to go, or browsing at bistro tables in a cafe-style setting.

“The French love American products, and there is a hype about American food chains,” said Amir Boudokhane, 25, a project manager at a medical clinic, as he waited to enter. A Krispy Kreme ad had popped up on his Instagram feed: and he was rushing to get there before going to work. “I’ll be late,” he said with a smile. “But at least I have donuts for my colleagues.”

The sight of the French flocking to American cuisine might have seemed surreal a generation ago in a country that loves Michelin-starred restaurants, three-hour dinners and iconic baguettes. But today, the gastronomic capital of the world is one of the largest markets in Europe for major American fast food chains as changing consumer habits, influenced by a more casual younger generation and social media, reshape the dining landscape.

In the spring, Popeye’s fried chicken drew huge crowds in Paris when it opened the first of 350 planned restaurants across France. Wendy’s has announced plans to open a store in France. Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Chipotle, Steak ‘n Shake, Carl’s Jr. and Five Guys have long established themselves but are rapidly expanding their footprint with plans for hundreds of new locations across the country.

Leader in the pack is McDonald’s. After the United States, France is the chain’s most profitable country, with sales of more than 6 billion euros ($6.5 billion) from more than 1,500 restaurants in 2022. France is also Burger King’s second-largest market, with a turnover of €1.2 billion. last year.

“France is an El Dorado for American fast-food brands,” said Xavier Expilly, a consultant who oversaw the French openings of Burger King, Five Guys and others. “Habits are changing: people are eating faster than before, and they want a different experience,” he noted. “The American chains know how to respond to that need.”

Krispy Kreme is the latest. At the opening on Wednesday, a DJ pounded out dance music to the waiting crowd. A red carpet adorned the entrance as the company’s mascot – a donut – bounced past employees and handed out fresh glazed treats to eager customers.

Miguel Calic-Cuere spent the night in front of the store with dozens of fans eager to get a good spot in line. “I barely slept because it was so cold,” says the 20-year-old student. who kept warm by taking short walks and making friends in the growing crowd. Waiting for the opening “was a moment of solidarity for all of us,” he exclaimed. When the doors finally opened, he was the lucky winner of a free box of a dozen Krispy Kremes each month for the coming year.

Celia Lea Amarouche, 19, and Marie Besson, 28, were ready to open their wallets after seeing Krispy Kreme cameos on US TV shows they watched to improve their English, including ‘The Simpsons’ and popular crime shows . Seeing Kylie Jenner dig into Krispy Kreme donuts on TikTok sealed the deal, Ms. Besson said.

“Donuts are little known in France compared to croissants and chocolate pain,” said Alexandre Maizoué, director general of Krispy Kreme France and member of the executive committee of Wagram Finance, a French private equity firm backing the company’s venture. He gestured around the store, where people crowded around five counters, choosing donuts with chocolate icing and sprinkles, or a dozen glazed in strawberry pink.

“This is all about American pop culture,” he said. Krispy Kreme “is appealing to Generation Netflix,” he added. “They have seen all the American series. They love American culture and American art de vivre.”

Donuts rolled off a conveyor belt imported from North Carolina, where the chain is based. New flavors were created to appeal to the French palate, including a fresher fruit flavor for the apple donut and less sweetness for the strawberry glaze. One Frenchified version was loaded with gingerbread, a cookie often served in cafes with an espresso.

The store, in a premium spot that Krispy Kreme acquired from French Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse, will make 45,000 donuts a day. About a dozen more locations will open in Paris over the next three months, Mr. Maizoué said, and Krispy Kreme donuts will be sold in dozens of French supermarkets.

Things haven’t always gone smoothly for the American brands in France: Burger King was forced to withdraw from the French market before re-entering the market a decade ago, after insisting on sticking to a burger menu that was too American for the French taste. McDonald’s, on the other hand, brought some offerings to the French market by introducing additional items not available in American restaurants, such as croissants and a facsimile of the croque-monsieur sandwich.

McDonald’s also set a standard by creating a sit-down restaurant atmosphere, making French consumers, steeped in café culture, feel more comfortable gathering at a table around a Big Mac. Meat, cheese and bread from France are also used.

Other American fast-food chains have adopted the same model to survive — and thrive, Expilly said. “Sales in France are two to three times higher than in other countries as companies have adapted the ultra-fast American dining experience,” he said.

French cuisine won’t be wiped off the map: the No. 1 lunch counter is still the local bakery. According to Gira Conseil, a French consultancy, about 2.6 billion baguettes are sold in France every year, compared to 1.4 billion hamburgers.

But in terms of pure earning power, American chains dominate, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all fast-food sales, a broad category that includes quick-service restaurants. According to Xerfi, a Paris-based research firm, the five largest U.S. fast-food companies in France had sales of €8.6 billion last year.

In any case, there is more money to be made. U.S. chains are expanding abroad as saturation levels in the United States have reached record highs, said Aaron Allen, founder and chief strategist of Aaron Allen & Associates, a Chicago-based consultancy focused on the global foodservice and hospitality industries.

“The American brands have been fighting the battle, and there are only so many places to put them,” he said. “So you see a rush to go to those countries where standards are changing and where fast food is more accepted.”

This is the case in France, where the younger generation is more casual than its parents and regular meals at home are fragmented. Hour-long lunches have turned into shorter breaks, leaving people looking for a quicker alternative.

And the use of food delivery services like UberEats and Deliveroo exploded during the pandemic, fueling a tendency among young people to order with one tap on an app — a phenomenon that didn’t exist in France a decade ago.

Back at Krispy Kreme, Michele Fidel and Charlie Anglo, who work at a luxury hotel in Paris, rushed to the opening after seeing friends post about it on Facebook. “We prayed that Krispy Kreme would come here!” Mr. Anglo exclaimed.

Juliette Gueron-Gabrielle reporting contributed.