NoonEats: Turkey, Bacon and Cheddar Flatbread from Dunkin Donuts

Serving 1 billions cups every year, Dunkin' Donuts claims to be America's largest seller of brewed cups of coffee. The chain is a morning stop for most people, but with a selection of flatbread sandwiches, it might also be a viable lunch option. Not a lunch option I was eager to try, but a potentially convenient one nonetheless.

I often use my hourlong lunchbreak to run errands. Last Thursday, I wanted to pick up shoes at the new Skechers store on Route 22 for an upcoming trip and make a stop at the Springfield post office. The former, by its nature, takes some time, and the latter always involves a long wait in line, for me at least. So with this ambitious agenda, I decided to try a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts on Mountain Avenue for lunch.

The chain offers several flatbread sandwich varieties: ham and swiss; grilled cheese; chicken parmesan; and turkey, bacon and cheddar. Among those, the turkey, bacon and cheddar looked most appealing (the chicken parmesan looked least appealing, by far). With an open mind, I asked a cashier what her favorite flatbread sandwich was.

"Uhh, none," she said and laughed. "But the turkey, bacon and cheddar is our most popular."

So that's what I ordered, along with a large iced coffee, making myself one of the Americans who runs on Dunkin'—for one afternoon at least.

These sandwiches are designed for minimal mess, according to the chain's Web site, and there I have to give it credit. After snapping a few quick pictures of the sandwich, it was easy to eat while driving down Mountain Avenue and on to eastbound Route 22. (Two weeks ago I was rear-ended in what became a four-car pileup on Interstate 78 in Springfield—by a driver whom I'm sure was distracted, probably by a cell phone. More conscious than ever now of watching the road, I found that the flatbread lived up to its "easy to eat while you're on the go" billing. Not that I am advocating eating and driving.)

The oven-toasted flatbread was warm and crisp, and the cheddar flavorful, like a good sharp variety. The bacon was typical of what one would find on an inexpensive fast food burger: thin, not so crisp, but salty.

The sandwich was small and not very filling, but it contained 410 calories, and a whopping 20 grams of fat – yes that's 31 percent of what is recommended for a day. Even more astounding was the amount of sodium, of which I'm usually not conscious: 1110 milligrams, or 46 percent of what is recommended for an entire day. With all of that fat, plus 21 grams of protein, carbohydrate counters may think this is a low carb option. But think again: 36 grams of carbohydrates.

In the end, I'd rate this lunch similar to a Taco Bell lunch: quick, inexpensive and a little better than what I was expecting. But with so many other options out there, I probably won't be going back. Unless perhaps to give one of the slightly more-healthy egg white flatbreads a try.