Dunkin' first introduced a breakfast sandwich featuring Beyond Meat's meatless sausage in New York City this July. That test "exceeded our expectations," Dunkin' CEO Dave Hoffmann said in a statement Monday. The Beyond Sausage Sandwich is now the second best-selling item in Dunkin's Manhattan stores, following the company's bacon, egg and cheese bagel. Sales of the sandwich were more than twice as high as expected.
The enthusiastic customer reaction inspired Dunkin (
DNKN)' to speed up the national launch, which was previously scheduled for January. Over 9,000 Dunkin' locations will serve the sandwich starting November 6.
The speedy rollout echoes Burger King's trajectory with the Impossible Whopper. Burger King
first tested out the meatless Whopper, which features a patty made by Impossible Foods, in April. Just a month later,
Burger King announced that it would make the product available nationally because the test had gone "exceedingly well." The Impossible Whopper launched
across the United States in August.
For chains like Burger King, Dunkin' and others, the meat substitute protein trend could be a boon.
Barclays predicts 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.
And it's unlikely that customers who eat plant-based protein for health and environmental reasons will abandon animal protein — or the fast food staples that feature real meat.
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