Dunkin’s new menu item is Snoop Dogg-approved.
Beginning Monday, the chain will sell a Beyond Sausage patty with egg and cheese, served on a sliced glazed donut. The sandwich will only be available for a week, and its the latest promotion for the plant-based protein since it launched nationally in November.
The “Beyond D-O-Double G Sandwich,” as its called, was inspired by the rapper’s “passion for plant-based protein and love of glazed donuts,” according to a press release. Dunkin’ first enlisted Snoop last year and surprised customers with the plant-based meat in a TV ad campaign.
Snoop and Dunkin’ are also opening a pop-up store, which includes a green tracksuit emblazoned with the words “Glazzzed for Days” and other clothes, later this month. A launch date hasn’t been announced yet. Some Dunkin’ restaurants in the US are handing out free samples of the original Beyond Sausage Sandwich on the mornings of January 24 and 25.
Beyond Meat has been a hit for Dunkin’. Dunkin’ CEO Dave Hoffmann recently said that the Beyond Sausage Sandwich is now the second best-selling item in Dunkin’s Manhattan stores, following the company’s classic bacon, egg and cheese bagel. Sales of the sandwich were more than twice as high as expected. The response was so strong that it pushed up the national rollout by two months.
The fake meat halo effect has spread to other chains, too. Burger King launched the Impossible Whopper nationally in August following a test that had gone “exceedingly well.” Tim Hortons and some McDonald’s in Canada are also selling Beyond Meat sandwiches.
The meat substitute protein trend could be a boon for those chains. Barclays predicts that the alternative meat sector could reach about $140 billion in sales over the next decade, capturing about 10% of the global meat industry. Jefferies predicts that by 2040, the alternative meat market could make $240 billion in annual revenue globally.
For Beyond, the craze has benefited its bottom line since going public in May 2019. The stock made its Wall Street debut in May at $25 a share and soared as high as nearly $240 before pulling back to its current price of around $105. The stock is up 40% this year.
