Dunkin' and Beyond Meat CEOs say they want to 'democratize' plant-based 'meat' with breakfast sandwiches

Kate Taylor/Business Insider

Dunkin' is adding Beyond Meat to the menu in New York City.

• Dunkin' is adding Beyond Meat to menus at Manhattan stores.
• The donut-and-coffee chain plans to roll out the breakfast sandwich made with Beyond's plant-based "meat" nationally in the future.
• "We're about democratizing trends," Dunkin' CEO David Hoffmann told Business Insider.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dunkin' is adding Beyond Meat to the menu in New York City.

On Wednesday, Dunkin' announced a new partnership with Beyond Meat. The chain is now selling Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches in Manhattan locations and plans to roll out the menu item nationally at an undisclosed point in the future.

"We're about democratizing trends," Dunkin' CEO David Hoffmann told Business Insider. "This is a trend that we felt - he's got the product, he's got the news, we've got the scale."

The plant-based breakfast sandwich will cost $4.29 in Manhattan, a similar price to other Dunkin' breakfast sandwiches.

Read more: As fast-food rivals pen deals with Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, long-time vegetarian favorites like Panera and Taco Bell refuse to jump on the bandwagon

"It's not that interesting to me that really rich people eat super healthy food. It's not moving the needle," Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said.

Brown said that, in the next five years the company plans to create products that cost less than comparable animal proteins as the supply chain is built out. Until then, Brown says it is significant that Dunkin' is selling the Beyond Meat sandwich at the same price as its other options.

"You see other chains that are upcharging a dollar or something, but this is a chance to meet consumer where we are," Brown said.

Dunkin' and Beyond executives said that men and women across the country are increasingly interested in plant-based proteins, as they dabble in eating less meat and aim to develop more sustainable habits.

"The myth that this is a coastal phenomenon is wrong," Dunkin' CMO Tony Weisman said.

Dunkin' has made a string of changes recently, as the chain attempts to adjust to evolving customer tastes. In late 2018, the chain rolled out a new espresso lineup and earlier this year it dropped the "Donuts" from its name and branding.