Dunkin’s newest menu item stirs up strong opinions: ‘Nothing could have actually prepared me’

It’s been less than five months since Dunkin’ launched its Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich, bringing the trendy, plant-based option to its more than 9,000 stores nationwide.

Now, the chain’s latest item is swinging in the other direction entirely. Dunkin’s newest offering, called “Snackin’ Bacon,” is exactly what it sounds like.

The item, which launched on Feb. 26, comes with eight half-strips of “high-end” bacon that comes “wrapped in a portable sleeve for on-the-go snacking ease,” according to a blog post from the company.

“Here at Dunkin’, we’ve been working hard to formulate the perfect afternoon pick-me-up,” the company’s post added. “And really, what’s better than a bag full of bacon?”

But not all customers feel so positively about it. The item, which is smoked with “natural cherrywood” and topped with a mix of brown sugar and pepper, immediately became a point of strong division online.

“I’m here for this. Thank you, Dunkin'” one Twitter user wrote in praise of the meaty item.

“Who would’ve thought, bacon in a sleeve would bring me such joy. I’ll take 10,” another added.

Many customers, however, were a lot more critical. Several Twitter users seemed to find the idea unhealthy, uncreative or both.

“Dunkin Donuts is now selling bags of bacon for breakfast? I never liked that place smh,” one Twitter user wrote.

“Just a big ole bag of bacon…why hadn’t someone thought of this before,” another added.

By the company’s own admission, the item isn’t meant to be some kind of innovation. CNN reported that the bacon itself is basically the exact same as the kind served on certain sandwiches — but placed in a bag instead.

So is a big of bacon really worth the struggle? Or the calories? Or the shame? To figure that out, the In The Know team took it upon ourselves to bravely sample the item — here’s what happened.

What went down when we tried Dunkin’s ‘Snackin’ Bacon’

Getting an order of “Snackin’ Bacon” in New York City was already one of the easiest tasks we’ve ever accomplished as a team, as there’s a Dunkin’ less than one-tenth of a mile from our office. However, once the food made its way to the In The Know team, things got a little more interesting.

One thing nearly everyone agreed on? The “Snackin’ Bacon” is, most certainly, just a bag of bacon.

“Wow, it’s literally just bacon,” one of our video producers said.

“It’s bacon,” another remarked, putting it even more simply.

Others, however, were a lot more complex in their review — especially those who disliked it.

“I had already been told it was literally ‘a bag of bacon,’ but nothing could have actually prepared me for what it felt like to hold the tiny flimsy paper bag filled with scraps of bacon,” one of our writers said. “Whatever the opposite of the feeling when angels sing and the clouds part and the sun shines through — that is how I felt staring into the abyss that was this bag of bacon.”

Some were slightly more praiseworthy, complimenting the idea but knocking Dunkin’ for its execution.

“The bacon featured is a little too thin and is also weirdly over peppered yet sweet at the same time,” another writer claimed.

Overall, just one of our team members seemed impressed by the item, which brought him to write a nearly Shakespearean review of the stuff.

“There’s a congealed texture to this salted sweet that certainly takes away from the artisanal rustic feel of a bacon doughnut that was handcrafted in a mom and pop shop,” he said. “But for a quick confection to satiate one’s sweet tooth, this is more than adequate.”

The post We sampled Dunkin’s newest menu item, which is literally just bacon appeared first on In The Know.

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