Marketing

Customers leak details on Dunkin' Donuts’ new snack program

Word spread on social media about a small test of items intended as afternoon add-ons.

Customers have outed a limited test of the snack items Dunkin’ Donuts intends to showcase in a push for food add-ons to afternoon beverage sales.

Dunkin’ told investors last month that the chain intends to offer $2 snacks as impulse buys for customers who pop into a unit for an afternoon coffee break—what many patrons call a Dunkin’ run, said CMO Tony Weisman.

"The Dunkin’ run is already a thing,” he told analysts who track the doughnut chain's parent, Dunkin' Brands. “The idea is to take our Dunkin’ beverages and pair them with $2 snacks.”

But Weisman did not reveal what items would be featured in what is being marketed as The Dunkin’ Run.

Customers did the uncovering on social media yesterday. They posted pictures showing such savory items as waffle-breaded chicken tenders, ham and cheese rollups, and pretzel “bites,” which looked like pretzel versions of Munchkins.

The sweet selections included fudge brownies, Munchkins served with a dipping sauce, warm cookies and what the chain is calling Donut Fries, which appear to be short churros served in a french fries sleeve.

Headquarters cited only three stores that are selling the line, all of them in the Boston area.

The Dunkin’ Run test is part of an effort by the chain to boost sales in the afternoon. It dovetails with Dunkin’s new value initiative, which offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches two at a time, all day, for $2, $3 or $5.

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