First it was the cola wars. Then the burger wars. Then the coffee wars. And now Dunkin’ Donuts evidently is trying to start a bagel war.
The chain will roll out a new “artisan” line of bagels this spring to its shops nationwide. It first started carrying bagels in 1996, and now has “reinvented” its recipe, the company said in a press release. Existing varieties such as sesame, poppy seed and cinnamon raisin will be joined by sun-dried tomato and pumpernickel. Also added to the menu: reduced-fat artichoke spinach cream cheese.
What makes a bagel artisan when it’s served by a business that pulled in $6.4 billion in sales last year? We have a call into Dunkin’ to find out. UPDATE: The PR people tell us that their executive chef is traveling today, so we won't know today.
The bagels will be available all day long.
Your move, Starbucks.
Dunkin' claims the title of the nation's No. 1 seller of bagels based on market research from The NPD Group and CREST rankings from February 2011 to January 2012.