Dunkin Donuts ushers in Utah's summer of gooey concoctions

In anticipation of the opening later this month of the first of 23 planned Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Utah, it's time to note that doughtnuts are going wild this summer.

Each year about now the makers of the confectionary concoctions go outside the box, as it were, but rarely to this gooey, gloppy degree.

Dunkin' and one other familiar brand, IHOP, are linking their names with combinations that must be making nutritionists gasp and gluttons gush. Krispy Kreme also is in on the game, but not of its own choosing.

Last week, Dunkin' rolled out its Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich — sliced open and served with egg and bacon, which no doubt will be featured when its initial Utah store opens June 25 at 217 E. 400 South in Salt Lake City. "We tried the sandwich with all of our meats, including bacon, ham and turkey, and besides bacon I think the next best meat to use in the sandwich is ham," Dunkin' executive chef Stan Frankenthaler told USA Today.

As part of its westward expansion, Dunkin' is entering the Utah market, its franchisor having recently announced the location of seven more stores and revealing that it eventually will operate 23 sites, up from 16.

A celebrity chef — not the Krispy Kreme brand itself — has devised a Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe (with cheese) sold over a recent weekend at the San Diego County Fair. And IHOP has just introduced, for the extra-sweet-toothed pancake-lover, Jelly Donut Pancakes.

"It's not even worth asking about the nutritionals, because you wouldn't want to eat any of this stuff on its own — let alone mixed with sloppy Joe meat or eggs," nutritionist and dietitian blogger Robyn Flipse told USA Today. "They know that people will want to tweet about this and say they were the first one to try one."

All of the moves, of course, are PR stunts aimed at getting online buzz and media attention. Don't forget that two Fridays ago was National Doughnut Day. But in the cases of Dunkin' and IHOP, it's also about giving consumers an excuse to circle back to the store.

For Krispy Kreme, however, it's a move that the company says it had nothing to do with. "Our fans always find unique and interesting ways to use our products," company spokesman Brian Little told USA Today. The creation was devised by celebrity chef Charlie "Chicken Charlie" Boghosian, who is widely known for his weird, deep-fried concoctions sold at county fairs. He says he sold more than 1,000 of the Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joes in two days — at $7.95 each.

But after the fair ends July 4, that's it. "It's unlikely you'll ever find a sloppy Joe sandwich at a Krispy Kreme shop," including their locations in Orem and Layton, said Little.

Then, there's IHOP's Jelly Donut Pancakes — buttermilk pancakes with raspberry filling, topped with glaze and more filling on the top, with, of course, powdered sugar. The pancakes, which sell for $4.99, will be available though July 21, said spokesman Craig Hoffman, including at most its restaurants along the Wasatch Front. They're not made with jelly but with the same kind of filling that goes into jelly doughnuts.

Of the three doughnut options, nutritionist Flipse suggests that IHOP's will do "the least damage." Not that she's recommending any of them. "They all just want something to put themselves back in the headlines," she said. "This should do it."