Dunkin' Donuts

1948–1963: Founding years

Bill Rosenberg opened the Open Kettle in 1948, a restaurant selling doughnuts and coffee in Quincy, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston), but in late May 1950,[8] he changed the name to Dunkin' Donuts after discussions with company executives.[9][10] He conceived the idea for the restaurant after his experiences selling food in factories and at construction sites, where doughnuts and coffee were the two most popular items. The company introduced its first logo in 1953, and the mascot Dunkie in 1954.[11] The restaurant was successful, and Rosenberg sold franchises to others starting in 1955.[12] It was during this time that Johnny Spartos, one of the men running the original Quincy location, convinced Rosenberg to produce a donut with a handle specifically for dunking into a cup of coffee.

1963–1998: Bob Rosenberg

In 1963, Rosenberg's son Bob became CEO of the company at age 25, and Dunkin' Donuts opened its hundredth location that year.[13] Dunkin' Donuts was a subsidiary of Universal Food Systems at the time, a conglomerate of 10 small food-service businesses,[14] and Dunkin' Donuts locations varied greatly in their menu options, with some selling full breakfasts and others serving only doughnuts and coffee.

In the following years, the other businesses in the Universal Food Systems portfolio were sold or closed, and the company was renamed to Dunkin' Donuts. The menu and shop format was standardized, and various new menu items were introduced. In the early 1980s, counter service and ceramic coffee cups were replaced by self-service counters and paper cups. The chain went public in 1968[15] and was acquired by Baskin-Robbins owner Allied Lyons in 1990.[16][17] By 1998, the brand had grown to 2,500 locations worldwide with $2 billion in annual sales.

Dunkin' Donuts expanded in the 1990s by buying out two rival chains: Mister Donut (which was founded by Bill Rosenberg's former partner Harry Winokur) and Dawn Donuts.[18]

1998–present: After Bob Rosenberg

The 'Dunkin' Donut' with a handle fashioned on it was discontinued in 2003 (except in Singapore) because it was hand-cut and uneconomical compared to machine-cut doughnuts.[19]

In 2004, the company's headquarters were relocated to Canton, Massachusetts. In December 2005, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins (by then, operating under the name Dunkin' Brands) were sold to a private equity consortium of Bain Capital, Carlyle Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners for $2.4 billion.[20] By 2010, Dunkin' Donuts' global sales were $6 billion.[21]

In June 2013, Dunkin' Donuts unveiled a new store design, the brand's first in almost seven years.[22]

The Dunkin' Donuts location in Natick, Massachusetts launched a program to test the concept of curbside pickup in December 2016.[23][24]

In January 2018, Dunkin' Donuts started opening new concept locations, beginning in Quincy, featuring modern decor, cold beverages on tap and a single-cup brewing machine, more packaged takeout options, and dedicated pick-up lines for mobile ordering inside and in the drive-thru. The concept was described as being part of a shift towards becoming an "on-the-go, beverage-led brand". In addition, the location, as well as others, began to trial signage referring to the chain as simply "Dunkin—removing "Donuts" from the name.[25][26]

In February 2018, Dunkin' announced plans to phase out polystyrene foam cups globally for environmental purposes by April 2020.[27][28][29]

In July 2018, Dave Hoffmann took over from Nigel Travis to become the CEO. He is looking to add 1,000 new locations outside of the Northeastern United States by the end of 2020 and to have a revenue increase of 3 percent for stores open a year or longer.[30] In late 2018, Dunkin' installed espresso machines at all possible locations and launched espresso products using a new recipe.[31][32]

In June 2019, Dunkin' partnered with Grubhub to begin the rollout of its new Dunkin' Delivers service.[33][34] Later in July 2019, Dunkin' partnered with Beyond Meat to introduce a meatless breakfast sandwich in Manhattan, becoming the first U.S. restaurant brand to serve Beyond Sausage.[35] The sandwich launched nationally later in 2019.[36][37]

In September 2019, the New York attorney general's office alleged in a lawsuit that Dunkin' mishandled a series of cyberattacks that were directed at customers using the Dunkin' mobile app. These attacks took place in early 2015 and thousands of usernames and passwords were stolen. The state lawsuit alleges that Dunkin' employees knew about these attacks, but failed to take appropriate action.[38]

In October 2020, Dunkin' Brands stated that the company was in conversation with Inspire Brands, a private equity-backed company, negotiating to sell the company.[39] They agreed to a deal that was announced on Saturday, October 31, 2020. Inspire Brands bought Dunkin' Brands for $11.3 billion, which included Dunkin' Brands' debt that Inspire Brands would be paying off. Inspire paid $106.50 in cash for each of Dunkin' Brands' shares.[40] On December 15, 2020, the acquisition was completed, and Dunkin' Brands ceased to exist as a separate company, with Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins, and the trademark management of Mister Donut, becoming part of Inspire Brands.[41]

Logo

A script version of the words Dunkin' Donuts was filed on March 31, 1955, and registered on February 2, 1960. A later logo was for a drawing and word logo depicting a figure with a doughnut for a head and a coffee cup and doughnut body wearing a garrison cap, with Dunkin' emblazoned on both the coffee cup and cap. The design was rendered primarily in yellow and brown. The logo was applied for on June 23, 1958, registered on May 23, 1961, and put into use on July 1, 1964.[62]

In 1966, the company began using a hot pink color for its branding and used a logo showing a stylized coffee cup with the company's name rendered on one line as a circle, evoking a doughnut dunking into the cup. In 1980, bright orange was added to the hot pink. As of 2014, the logo was a variation of the logo that has been in use since 1980: an all-capitals rendering of the words Dunkin' Donuts (Dunkin' in orange, Donuts in pink) in a thick, Frankfurter typeface[63] with a coffee cup outlined in brown with a "DD" monogram.[64]

In September 2018, the company announced that it would shorten its name to Dunkin', with a wider roll out beginning in January 2019. The company acknowledged "Dunkin was already a common name for the chain among customers and in its marketing (including the slogan "America Runs on Dunkin), and that the rebranding would reflect the chain's continuing shift towards being a "beverage-led" brand at a time when consumers have shown a preference for healthier trends and options as they eat fewer doughnuts.[65][3][66][67] While stores in the U.S. started using the new name in 2019, the company intends to roll out the rebranding to all of its international locations.[3]

Primary ad agency

In April 2018, Dunkin' named BBDO as their primary advertising agency. This replaced Hill Holliday, which had been producing print, digital, broadcast, and billboard advertising for almost twenty years. Hill Holliday was the agency responsible for the tagline "America Runs on Dunkin'". ARC/Leo Burnett was also named to lead all in-store promotions.[68]

Affiliations

Dunkin' has a close relationship with the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, making commercials at the start of each team's season for promotions. Dunkin' also sponsors other professional sports teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Rays.

In 2001, Donuts purchased the naming rights for the former Providence Civic Center, and renamed it the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The center is currently the home for the NCAA and Big East Providence Friars men's basketball team from Providence College as well as the home for the AHL Providence Bruins hockey team. In reference to the center's long association with local college basketball, it is often known locally as "The Dunk".

In January 2014, English football club Liverpool announced a multimillion-pound global partnership with the company.[69]

Dunkin' Donuts signed a sponsorship deal with the National Women's Hockey League in December 2015. As part of the multi-year agreement, Dunkin’ Donuts is the official hot, iced and frozen coffee of the NWHL.[70]

In 2016, Dunkin' became the official "coffee, doughnut and breakfast sandwich partner" of the National Hockey League.[71]

Headquarters

Dunkin’ Corporate Office is Located in Canton, Massachusetts. Its former headquarters was built in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950.[73]

United States

On January 16, 2013, Nigel Travis, Dunkin' Brands CEO, announced that the Dunkin' Donuts franchises would be available for the first time in California beginning in 2015 although in reality, this was a return to California, as the company had several stores operating in the state up until 2002.[74][75] In July 2013, Dunkin' Donuts announced that it signed its first Southern California multi-unit store development agreements with four franchise groups for a total commitment of 45 new restaurants. The first standalone restaurants were expected to open in 2015 in Orange and Los Angeles counties.[76] The chain also planned to expand into more stores in Texas by 2015.[77] On March 10, 2014, the first Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combination store in Southern California opened in Ramona.[78] This is Dunkin' Donuts' third California shop to open, following shops in Barstow and on Camp Pendleton. Since March 2014, Dunkin' Donuts has opened several additional locations throughout California, including the Los Angeles area. Dunkin' Donuts shops opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in Walnut Creek, Half Moon Bay,[79] and American Canyon in 2016, as well as South San Francisco and Fremont, in 2017.[79][80][81] After nearly a decade's absence, Dunkin' Donuts returned to the state of Minnesota in 2014; a new shop opened inside the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester.[82]

In the United States, Dunkin' is sometimes paired with Baskin-Robbins ice cream in a single multibranded store. While such locations usually maintain separate counters for each chain (much like co-branded Wendy's–Tim Hortons locations in Canada), depending on business that day, both chains' products can be bought at a single counter (typically Dunkin' Donuts'). The practice of single-counter service is similar to that of multibranded Yum! Brands stores such as KFC–Taco Bell, which share a single kitchen and cashier line.[83]

As of February 9, 2017, all Dunkin' locations are franchisee owned and operated.[84] In addition to its stand-alone shops, Dunkin' shops can be found within many gas stations, supermarkets, mall and airport food courts, and Walmart stores. In July 2013, Dunkin' Donuts opened its 500th restaurant in New York City. This location is combined with a Baskin-Robbins.[85]

On July 30, 2020, Dunkin' Brands announced it would permanently close 800 stores in the US by the end of the year because of a 20 percent drop in sales in the second quarter during the COVID-19 pandemic, 450 of which are part of the previously announced closing of locations within Speedway gas stations.[86][39]

As of 2019, 40 Dunkin' Donuts shops in the United States were certified fully kosher, in addition to one that sells both kosher-certified and non-kosher products.[87]

In early 2025, Dunkin' announced it would no longer upcharge for dairy alternatives in their drinks.[88]

International

By March 2014, Dunkin' Donuts' largest international market was South Korea, representing nearly 40 percent of all international sales. With over 900 outlets in the country, it had three times as many as McDonald's and about a third more than Starbucks. South Korea is home to Dunkin' Donuts' only coffee roasting plant outside the U.S. The company still sees China and its vastly larger population as the more lucrative opportunity. In 2008, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first restaurant in Shanghai, representing the first step in its China expansion strategy. By March 2014, it had about 50 stores in the country and an agreement to open 100 more over the next five years.[89][90] The operation in China is under a franchise agreement with Jollibee Foods Cooperation, but only seven stores were opened in Beijing, opposed to the planned 100. In 2022, Jollibee announced that it will end the Dunkin Donuts franchise in China to allow expansions into other markets in other regions[91]. Since then, stores started to close and as of 2025, there are no Dunkin stores in mainland China.

In Australia, Dunkin' Donuts opened in the 1980s, but by the late 2000s, they had left the Australian market. In 2014, Dunkin' Brands global chairman Nigel Travis said there were no plans in the short term to return the brand to the Australian market.[92] Baskin-Robbins, a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, continues to exist in the country.

In Brazil, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first building in 1980.[93] In 2013, it planned to open 25 franchises in the country.[94]

In Colombia, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first store in Bogotá in 1983. By 2015, Dunkin' Donuts operated more than 100 stores only in the capital city of the country.[95] As of February 2016, it operates more than 150 stores around the country including locations in the cities of Medellín, Cali, Ibagué, Pereira, Manizales and Barranquilla.[96]

In January 2014, Dunkin' Donuts relaunched in England 20 years after it exited the country with its store opening in Harrow, London.[97] There are no Dunkin' Donuts stores in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales.

On December 5, 2014, Dunkin' Donuts opened their first location in the Nordic region, at the Täby Centrum shopping mall in the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden.[98][99] On July 24, 2018, Dunkin' Donuts announced that the company's Swedish operations had filed for bankruptcy and all locations in Sweden would close immediately.[100] On April 1, 2015, the first store in Denmark opened in Copenhagen Central Station and by May 5, 2015, one opened at Roskilde railway station. There is still one under construction in Odense.[101]

In early December 2015, Dunkin' Donuts opened their first cafe in 13 years in Warsaw. The opening of a second location in Warsaw was announced for January 2016. In December 2018, a third branch was under construction in the city.[102]

On January 21, 2016, Dunkin' Brands announced a master franchise agreement with Grand Parade Investments Ltd. that called for developing 250 Dunkin' Donuts and 70 Baskin-Robbins outlets throughout South Africa.[103] The first stores opened in the end of 2016 in the Cape Town area. Eventually, only 11 Dunkin' Donuts locations and five Baskin-Robbins locations opened in South Africa due to GPI's financial trouble. However, by February 2019, Grand Parade Investments announced that it permanently closed all Dunkin' Brands locations in South Africa due to poor performance.[104]

In September 2015, Roland Zanelli, the owner of the Dunkin' Donuts license in Switzerland, announced the opening of the first two stores in Basel, Switzerland in Fall 2015, followed by the opening of up to 60 stores in the whole country.[105] The first Basel store opened on March 1, 2016.

In 2024, the company's operations in Belgium and the Netherlands went bankrupt, but insisted that all of the locations would stay open.[106]

India

On February 24, 2011, Dunkin' Donuts signed a master franchise agreement with Indian food service company Jubilant FoodWorks to operate the brand in India.[107] Jubilant FoodWorks opened the country's first Dunkin' Donuts outlet at Connaught Place, New Delhi in April 2012.[108] In November 2014, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first store in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh inside Z Square Mall.[109]

There were 32 Dunkin' Donuts outlets across 10 Indian cities as of December 31, 2019.[110]

Spain

The term "Donuts" was already trademarked by one of the largest Spanish bakery firms, Panrico,[111] so the company was born as a joint venture between Dunkin' Donuts' then-parent Allied Domecq and Panrico (only Spanish shareholders, representing 50%) in order to use the brand name "Dunkin' Donuts". In 2007, after Dunkin' Donuts bought out Panrico's 50% share, the stores were rebranded to "Dunkin' Coffee".[112] As of 2017, there are 59 Dunkin' Coffee locations in Spain, the majority of which are in Barcelona, Madrid, and Málaga. Their slogan, "Juntos es mejor", translates to "Together is better".

United Kingdom

As of 2025, Dunkin' currently operates 22 sites in the United Kingdom, all in England.[113] This follows what it called an 'aggressive extension plan' in 2023 owing to popular sales.[114]

Canada

Despite once having hundreds of stores nationwide, Dunkin' Donuts and its market share all but vanished from Canada by the turn of the century. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, the chain began disappearing from all regions of Canada, with its last foothold in the province of Quebec. However, its decline was most apparent in Quebec, where the chain once had 210 stores, but by mid 2017, had only three—the last franchises in the country.[115] By then, only one free standing store had the facilities to make doughnuts fresh on site. The other two were merely shopping-mall food court stands, dependent on the delivery of baked goods from the main store. One of the primary reasons for Dunkin' Donuts' decline was competition with Tim Hortons, similar to Tim Hortons' own decline in the northeastern United States due to heavy competition from Dunkin' Donuts. A group of Dunkin' Donuts franchisees won a C$16.4 million civil court judgement against the parent company for failing to adequately promote the brand in Canada. In September 2018, after 57 years of operating in Canada,[116] Dunkin' Donuts ceased business there when it refused to renew its franchise license to the few remaining stores left. All remaining Canadian locations were closed or rebranded as independent businesses in late 2018, ending the presence of Dunkin' Donuts in the country.[117]

Baskin-Robbins, a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, continues to operate stores across Canada.[118]

Lebanon

Dunkin' opened its first location in Lebanon in 1998 and has since gained a lot of admiration among Lebanese people and is now one of the most popular coffee shops with many branches spread across the country.

In 2020, Dunkin' Lebanon started selling its products in supermarkets and grocery stores.

Japan

The first Dunkin Donuts store in Japan opened around 1969 in Ginza, Tokyo, Tokyo,[119] becoming the first Asian country to have Dunkin' Donuts. The Japanese chain was owned by a joint venture between the Saison Group, Yoshinoya, and the Japanese subsidiary of the Compass Group named Seiyo Food Systems.

As of 1982, it had 15 outlets, although The New York Times states that it had "43 outlets".[119]

After 28 years of operating in Japan, Dunkin' Donuts ceased business there in 1998 due to declining sales and poor performance. All of the non-military base locations were either closed or converted to Mister Donut locations. Dunkin' still has locations in United States military bases, which are open only to military personnel.

Malaysia

Dunkin' established its presence in Malaysia in 1987 with its first outlet in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.[120] The brand has since expanded to over 100 outlets across Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, operating in shopping malls, airports and urban centers.

In 2024, Dunkin' opened its 100th outlet at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Spanning 1,800 square meters with a seating capacity of 88 guests, it is the largest Dunkin' location in the country.[121] The brand in Malaysia is operated by Golden Donuts, the master franchisee since 1987.

South Korea

Dunkin' Donuts Korea launched a fun-shaped doughnut with fried chicken legs in cooperation with Kyochon, a South Korean chicken franchise.[122]

Philippines

The first Philippine store of Dunkin' Donuts opened in Makati in April 12, 1981 under the Philippine franchisee Golden Donuts Incorporated (GDI).[123] Dunkin' Donuts later expanded outside Metro Manila when Queen City Food Chain, Inc. opened its first outlet in Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City in 1986.[124] It later expanded to Mindanao when its first two branches in Cagayan de Oro opened in 1991.[125][126] Its first drive-thru store was opened in Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City in January 2021.[127] In mid-August 2023, Dunkin’ opened its 800th Philippine store in Laoag, becoming the largest coffee operator in the country.[128]

Singapore

The first Dunkin' Donuts store in Singapore opened at Goldhill Square on April 3, 1983.[129] The Singapore franchise for Dunkin' Donuts was initially through Spes Universal Pte Ltd, consisting of Singaporean and Filipino shareholders.[130]

Saudi Arabia

Dunkin' Donuts opened its first location in Saudi Arabia in 1986. As of October 2022, it operates over 500 stores and plans to operate more than 600 in the Kingdom by the end of 2022 due to the high coffee demand.[131]

Israel

Dunkin' Donuts Israel was an Israeli franchise of the chain. Dunkin' Donuts Israel opened their first location in Israel in 1996 in Tel Aviv. Their main flagship store was located in Rabin Square, with their factory in Lod.[132] Upon opening their first location, Dunkin' was a huge hit. When the original location opened, it broke Dunkin's own sales records by selling 3 million doughnuts in the first eight months.[133] The chain's manager was quoted saying "Israelis do not stop eating doughnuts, They buy such quantities, quantities that we would never have believed they would buy. They buy boxes of 12, eat them here, and then buy more boxes to take home."[134]

In 2001, when Dunkin' Donuts Israel decided to close, the company had accumulated a large amount of debt. When the Second Intifada broke out, Israeli tourism slowed, and Dunkin' decided to close.[135] Approximately $2 million was invested in Dunkin' Donuts Israel when it failed.[136] At the peak, Dunkin' Donuts had 9 branches in Israel, short of their original goal of 15, including 3 in Jerusalem.[132]

New Zealand

The first New Zealand store opened in Manukau, Auckland in 2001; three others also opened in Auckland that year.[137] By 2017, it had 12 Auckland stores and two other cities.[138] By 2022, it had 15 Auckland stores and three other cities.[139]

Costa Rica

In August 2024, the first Dunkin' location in Costa Rica opened in Heredia.[140]There are currently, eight locations in operation in Costa Rica: six in San José, one in Cartago, and one in Heredia.[141]

France

In May 2025, Dunkin' established its first location in France, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.[142] As of now, there are five Dunkin' locations in France, all of them in Île-de-France,[143] and the chain continues to expand.