Once premium java percolated into the mainstream, it was only a matter of time before major fast-food and doughnut chains got more serious about their coffee.

Bracing for that threat, Starbucks Corp. started trying out toasty egg and cheese sandwiches in its hometown coffeehouses three years ago.

Now, as McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Corp. offer premium brew, and Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts sells caramel swirl lattes, the Seattle-based coffee behemoth is more than doubling the number of stores that sell hot breakfast sandwiches this year.

Offering such trimmings as peppered bacon and Black Forest ham, Starbucks added the English muffin sandwiches to stores in Washington, D.C., last year, and in Portland, Ore., last month. That will expand to San Francisco in early April, and Chicago later this year.

By the time its current fiscal year ends in October, Starbucks says it will offer breakfast sandwiches at roughly 600 stores — up from about 250 today.

Industry analysts say it’s a sensible move that doesn’t involve much risk.

The biggest gamble, analysts say, is whether hot food can be served without slowing down service.
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