In the current issue of QSR magazine, resident culinary expert, Marc Halperin, dreams of a day when quick-serves offer egg white sandwiches, turkey sausages, and whole-grain biscuits. This week, Halerpin’s fast-food fantasy came true with the announcement of Dunkin’ Donuts’ new DDSMART morning menu.
The DDSMART menu includes existing Dunkin’ Donuts food and beverages that have at least 25 percent fewer calories or 25 percent less sugar, fat, saturated fat, or sodium than comparable fare. The stars of the menu, however, are the new Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches which come with turkey sausage or veggies. “We’re constantly talking to customers and getting feedback on a variety of items they’d like to see on the Dunkin’ menu. From a consumer stand point, this is an item we have a lot of permission to go do,” says Scott Hudler, senior director of brand marketing, in an exclusive interview with QSR.
Although segment leader Starbucks has recently scaled back its menu offerings in attempts to return to the basics of the brand, Hudler doesn’t see the timing of the DDSMART rollout as risky. “This is a core part of our business,” he says. “We’ve been in the bakery business for a long time, the breakfast business for a long time, and coffee is our life blood. We’re not straying too far from our core business.”
DDSMART is set to become an integral part of that core business. The Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches are a permanent menu addition and in the future the company will have “a constant stream of innovative new products that fit the health guidelines,” Hudler says.
Based on its price, $2.89, the new sandwich is a mid-range offering, falling between an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and a sausage supreme. As part of the Oven Toasted menu innovations that began earlier this year and most recently gave way to the Southwest Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, the Egg White Flatbread Sandwich represents an important milestone for the brand, says Chief Brand Officer, Will Kussell in a statement. “Understanding what our busy, on-the-go customers want, and constantly innovating to meet those needs is the single biggest reason for our brand’s growth and success,” Kussell says.
In addition to the egg white offerings, DDSMART also includes, classic Dunkin’ Donuts coffee served with skim milk and sugar substitutes, the Reduced Calorie Berry Smoothie, and the Reduced Fat Blueberry Muffin.
—Blair Chancey
