Updated October 21, 2019. | Dunkin’ is launching vegan breakfast sausage nationwide next month.
The donut and coffee chain introduced the sandwich to 163 locations across Manhattan last July. The sandwich comes with a Beyond breakfast sausage patty, egg, and cheese on an English muffin. It can be made vegan by ordering it with just the English muffin.
“We’re excited to introduce the Beyond Sausage Sandwich nationwide and in doing so, offer an option with fewer calories, less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, while delivering more protein and iron than a comparable pork sausage sandwich,” Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat Founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We are excited that everyone who runs on Dunkin’ now has the option to make a delicious plant-based sausage sandwich part of their day.”
While Dunkin’ initially planned on a nationwide launch in January, CNBC reports that the breakfast sandwich’s popularity moved up the date. The company said on Monday that it was the second best-selling sandwich in Manhattan. Sales were more than double the original forecast and customers were ordering it at all hours of the day.
The new option may only be the beginning. “I think this is going to be a partnership for years to come,” Dunkin’ CEO David Hoffman said in an interview with CNBC.
Beyond Meat Goes Mainstream
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Hoffman teased a partnership with a plant-based brand last May, stating that it could take the form of sausage crumbles atop the new egg white bowls.
The new launch makes Dunkin’ the first U.S. chain to serve Beyond Meat’s vegan breakfast sausage. Canadian chains Tim Hortons and A&W Canada began selling the meat-free sausage earlier this year. However, Tim Hortons pulled it from all locations in every province except very province except Ontario and British Columbia last September.
Brown said in a press release that the partnership with Dunkin’ could be the first step toward working with other national chains.
Beyond Meat became the first plant-based meat brand to go public earlier this year, resulting in the biggest first-day IPO in nearly two decades. Sales of vegan meat are growing 10 times faster than traditional meat, according to a recent Nielsen report. Refrigerated meat sales increased 37 percent in 2018 while animal-based grew by only 2 percent. The category alone is valued at more than $800 million. Experts predict that the global market could be worth $85 billion by 2030.
Vegan at Dunkin’
Dunkin’s has sparse vegan options. Its English muffins are free from animal products, so the sandwich could be made plant-based by leaving off the egg and cheese. The bagels, hash browns, and multigrain rounds are also vegan.
Its drinks menu is more vegan-friendly, featuring coffee, tea, espresso, almond milk, and Coollattas.
Dunkin’s meatless breakfast sausage sandwich launches nationwide on November 6.
