McDonald's introducing baked goods in New England

McDonald’s, the fast-food giant associated more with the smell of french fries than fresh pastries, is expanding its breakfast line at the chain’s New England restaurants to include baked goods, taking aim at a market segment dominated by Canton-based Dunkin’ Donuts.

The new menu items - which are already in stores and will be officially promoted starting Monday - include cheese danish, two kinds of muffins, banana bread, and vanilla scones.

Unlike the traditional McDonald’s breakfast menu, which features offerings such as oatmeal, pancakes, and variations of the long-popular Egg McMuffin, the baked goods will be available all day.
 

The products will be made daily in each restaurant here - as well as at the company’s Albany, N.Y., shops - according to Lou Provenzano, an owner of 13 McDonald’s locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Provenzano was part of the team that created the light-breakfast line.

“The fact that we bake them on the premises is a unique piece,’’ he said. “We actually bake them - they’re not frozen.’’

Provenzano said the line was developed in response to consumer demand. “Customers were asking us for something in the way of a sweet or baked good item we could serve them,’’ he said.

Some of the McDonald’s products, such as the mini vanilla scones and danishes, have counterparts at Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks shops.

The introduction of McDonald’s breakfast pastries is a strategic move to keep pace with fast-food competitors such as Dunkin’ Donuts, according to Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a food industry consulting firm in Chicago.