restaurants

RIP, Dunkaccino: The Dunkin' Favorite Has Officially Been Discontinued

Fans of the chain's hot chocolate-and-coffee combo are calling its discontinuation "a tragedy"

A black coffee and chocolate frosted donut are arranged for a photograph inside a Dunkin' location in Mount Washington, Kentucky, on Jan. 30, 2020.
Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images (File)

"Say goodbye to my little friend," Al Pacino, famous fake Dunkaccino fan, will likely say in response to this news.

Dunkin' has officially retired the Dunkaccino.

In a statement to TODAY.com, a Dunkin' spokesperson confirmed what many had been speculating: "As we focus on innovation and finding new ways to delight guests, we continually evolve our menu in an effort to deliver a fast, frictionless experience. The Dunkaccino is retired for now, but there’s always the chance for its return in the future."

My sister-in-law, Maura, texted our sibling group chat the other day after visiting her local Dunkin' in Chicago: "Dunkin' stopped doing Dunkaccino." The worker there informed her, "We only have hot chocolate."

"That's a tragedy," her sister, Kayla, responded.

Maura and Kayla are clearly big fans of the beverage, "a unique blend of coffee and hot chocolate flavors," as it is still described on Dunkin's website. It was introduced back in 2000, so the sisters, who are both in their 20s, have been drinking it for most of their lives.

"It was my first foray into the world of coffee," said Kayla.

Until now, Dunkin' hadn't publicly announced its decision to do away with the drink. But there were rumblings about it on social media.

In 2022, Redditor u/manualham shared an apparent internal memo Dunkin' employees received about menu items being eliminated — and the Dunkaccino was one of them.

In response to that post, u/JTex-WSP asked, "If Dunkaccino is going away, what happens to the machines?" and said they were "crushed" by the news of the drink's elimination, noting that it's something they'd "ordered almost exclusively for the last 20 years."

Another Redditor posted about it, asking for "Dunkaccino order replacement" recommendations.

"The hot Dunkaccinos were my favorite drink, and now all of my Dunkins seemingly have finally gotten rid of them," wrote u/greengrassraindrops. "Yes, I did live in a place where we still had them until like, a week ago."

To be clear, the frozen Dunkaccino, which was introduced in 2015, has also been discontinued.

Over on Twitter, in July 2022, user @JimmyDPooper (lol) tweeted, "It’s a sad day today. I’m at a Dunkin’ and I just learned that they discontinued the Dunkaccino... That drink is the whole reason I started going to Dunkin’ (thanks to the memes), and now it’s gone forever."

The Twitter user was referring to the fact that the menu item became a viral meme after Al Pacino performed a rap about it in the 2011 Adam Sandler comedy "Jack and Jill."

"You want creamy goodness, I’m your friend/ Say hello to my chocolate blend," he raps in the fake commercial.

On TikTok, one person offered a "hack" for those who still want to get their Dunkaccino fix.

"I just discovered at the closest Dunkies here in Connecticut, the Dunkaccino is officially discontinued," says TikToker @meaganlewismichelson in her video. "You can get a hot chocolate with a turbo shot. It tastes just as delicious, you get your caffeine, you get your chocolate, bada bing bada boom."

But as beloved as this beverage is to some, there was one apparent Dunkin' employee on Reddit who said, from what they observed, the Dunkaccino was the least popular drink on the menu. The drink's shift in popularity likely came about as consumers began to move away from sugar-laden beverages like Starbucks' Frappuccino and turn toward healthier options.

So, it seems Dunkin', much like Taco BellKFC and other fast-food chains, is following the post-COVID trend of simplifying its menu — by axing some fan favorites — to maximize efficiency and boost margins.

But those chains have also been bringing back some favorites, too — especially in response to massive consumer-led campaigns (hi, Mexican Pizza!) — so if there's enough demand, "there’s always the chance for its return," as the Dunkin' spokesperson put it.

So, get to work, Maura and Kayla. The Dunkaccino devotees of the world are depending on you.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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