Why Dunkin' Is Selling Bags Of Bacon

While Dunkin' officially dropped the last name "Donuts" in 2019 (via Business Insider), preferring to become one of those cool single-name celebs, they are still associated in most people's minds with everybody's favorite O-shaped treat. That doesn't mean Dunkin' is willing to stay in that lane, though — they want you to know and love them for their coffee drinks, their breakfast sandwiches, and all their other non-doughnut menu offerings. In fact, they're even happy to sell you bags of ice, in case you need 10 pounds of the stuff to cool down your super-hot coffee.

Ice isn't the strangest thing you can pick up a bag of at Dunkin', though — their latest menu addition is targeted right at all those keto dieters who may previously have been shunning this admittedly carb-centric chain. As of this week, you can now order a paper bag filled with nothing but bacon.

What's so special about this bacon?

Just bacon? In a bag? Yep, pretty much. It's not any old bacon, though. According to a Dunkin' press release, this Snackin' Bacon — which is, btw, "the perfect afternoon pick-me-up" — is smoked with natural cherrywood, and then seasoned with a sweet and savory brown sugar/black pepper combo. Sound familiar? It might if you spend a lot of time at Dunkin' reading the menu, since this "delightfully caramelized bacon" is the same stuff that's used on the Sweet Black Pepper Bacon Breakfast Sandwich.

Each bacon baggie comes with eight half-strips (which, Dunkin' helpfully reveals, is "equivalent to four full strips!"), and is said to pair best with caramel, French vanilla, or hazelnut-flavored iced coffee, though we've always thought of bacon as more of a "goes with beer" snack.

Does this mean Dunkin' hates vegetarians?

Calm down, non-meat eaters. Dunkin' still loves you. Not only does the Dunkin' menu continue to feature the Veggie Egg White Omelet, but the company rolled out the plant-based Beyond Sausage Sandwich nationwide last fall after a successful NYC launch had it quickly becoming the second-best selling item at all Manhattan stores (via CNN). 

Unfortunately, bags of plant-based "Snackin' Fakon" are going to have to wait until somebody develops a palatable version of the stuff. Once they do, though, Dunkin's sure to be on board.