Dunkin’ Donuts

When William Rosenberg opened his Open Kettle restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, he had no idea that having coffee and donuts on his menu would change the world. All restaurants have a few menu items that are their biggest sellers, but Rosenberg thought a little different and saw that as an opportunity so in 1950, two years after opening his Open Kettle restaurant, he changed the menu so to focus on what his customers wanted, coffee and donuts. He not only changed the menu, but he also changed the name of his restaurant as well, and Dunkin’ Donuts was born. If you are a fan of the company and love history, grab a coffee and donut at the original store, it’s still located at 543 Southern Artery in Quincy, Massachusetts. Some things may look a little different than it did in 1950, but you will always find amazing coffee and donuts just like Mr. Rosenberg wanted.

General Restaurant Information

Food Type: Coffeehouse

Restaurant Type: Fast Food

U.S. Locations: 8,828

States: 50 states, Dunkin’ Donuts Locations

Company Slogan: America Runs On Dunkin’

 

Contact Information

Website: dunkindonuts.com

Questions: Contact Information

Phone number: 800-447-0013

Email: Contact Form Only

Blog: Dunkin’ Donuts Blog

FAQ Page: Dunkin’ Donuts Frequently Asked Questions

 

Ownership

Who Owns Dunkin’ Donuts? Dunkin’ Brands

Headquartered: Canton, MA

Contact Information: 

Website: dunkinbrands.com

Email/contact page: Contact Information

Phone: 800-859-5339

Address: 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021

Do They Franchise? Dunkin’ Franchise Information

 

After successfully operating the Industrial Luncheon Service, which served factory workers during World War II from mobile carts, William Rosenberg opened the first Dunkin’ Donuts store ten miles outside Boston in Quincy, Massachusetts. (emilycontois.com)

 

What Is It Like To Work At Dunkin’ Donuts?

DD Employment Page

3.5/5 or 70%; 12,700 Reviews (indeed.com)

3.0/5, or 60%; 2,500 Reviews (glassdoor.com)

 

The History of Dunkin’ Donuts

Original Location: 543 Southern Artery, Quincy, MA

Founded: Open Kettle (what would become Dunkin’ Donuts) was founded in 1948  

Founded By: William Rosenberg

Entrepreneur’s Hall of Fame: William Rosenberg (ltbn.com)

William Rosenberg (britannica.com)

This Day in Jewish History 1916: Dunkin’ Donuts’ Founder Is Born (haaretz.com)

William Rosenberg, the Entrepreneur Who Founded DD (franchisopedia.com)

William Rosenberg (anb.org)

1916: Dunkin’ Donuts’ Founder Is Born (haaretz.com)

Founder Obituary:

William Rosenberg, 86, Founder of Dunkin’ Donuts (nytimes.com)

Name Origin: Originally, Rosenberg named the restaurant Open Kettle when it began in 1948. The next year he changed it to Kettle Donuts and then in 1950 it was finally changed to Dunkin’ Donuts by the management team (more specifically the store’s architect). (source, source)

History Page: Company History Page

Current View of Original Location: 543 Southern Artery as it is today (link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)

Historical Articles: 

Original Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy Goes Back to Its Roots (boston.eater.com)

65 years ago, DD became a thing (boston.com)

The History of DD Franchising (thebalancesmb.com)

Then and Now (dunkindonuts.com)

The Origin Story: A Meaningful Beginning (emilycontois.com)

Social Awareness

Charity Focus: Bringing joy to sick and hungry kids

Green | Eco-Friendly: Our Planet (dunkinbrands.com)

Animal Cruelty: 

DD Switching to Cage-Free Eggs by 2025 (huffingtonpost.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts Commits to 100% Cage Free Eggs by 2025; Switching to 100% gestation crate-free pork by 2022 (cagefreefuture.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts Pledges To Stop Supporting Gestation Crates (humanesociety.org)

 

According to CEO Nigel Travis, about 60 percent of DD’s sales come from beverages: coffee, tea, iced coffee, and smoothies. Donuts, he says, are still a significant part of their menu and are growing—but their lower numbers are thought to be due to the fact that donuts are seen as a treat, as a reward. (eatthis.com)

 

Discounts At Dunkin’ Donuts

Rewards Program: Reward Program 

Do Kids Eat Free at Dunkin’ Donuts?

Summary: Currently, the chain does not offer any type of kids eat free discount or promotion.

Does Dunkin’ Donuts Offer Military Discounts?

Summary: Participating locations offer a free donut on Veteran’s Day; Veterans advantage members save 10% on all online orders; They also send coffee overseas to troops.

What Do They Offer for My Birthday!?

Summary: When you sign-up for the DDPerks program, they will give you a free medium drink on your birthday. Currently, they are also offering a free drink for signing up.

Does Dunkin’ Donuts Offer First Responder Discounts?

Summary: No references could be found with DD offering a first responder discount

Do They Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?

Summary: Some Dunkin locations offer a free donut with the purchase of a large beverage

Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits at DD?

Summary: By signing up for the Perks Program, you (currently) will receive a free drink just for joining. In addition to that, you receive a free drink on your birthday and other promotions throughout the year.

 

Amenities

Order Online: DD Online Order

WiFi Available: Yes

Use Apple Pay: Yes  

Reservations: No  

Catering: Dunkin’ Donuts Catering

Drive-Thru: Yes

Open 24 Hours: Some  

 

Customer Reviews of Dunkin’ Donuts

Yelp: 2.9/5 or 58%, 3,183 reviews sampled

Tripadvisor: 4.00/5 or 80%, 1,727 reviews sampled

Overall Average: 3.27/5 or 66%, 4,910 reviews sampled

 

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Food & Nutrition

Menu:  Dunkin’ Donuts Menu

Kids Menu:  No kids menu is being offered at this time

Secret Menu:  No resources found

Most Popular Menu Item:  Coffee (both iced & hot)

Coke or Pepsi: Coke

Serve Alcohol: No

Nutritional Information: Dunkin’ Donuts Nutrition Guide

Vegetarian | Vegan Options: 

145 Vegan Chain Restaurant Menus Every Vegan Needs to Know #21 (urbrantastebud.com)

Yes, Vegan Options Exist at Your Favorite Fast-Food Chains (chooseveg.com)

Farm to Table | Organic Options | Clean | Non-GMO: There were no clean eating references found related to the chain.

Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources: 

Healthy Breakfasts Nutritionists Order at DD (eatthis.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts (spoonuniversity.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts Nutritional Information (fatsecret.com) (fastfoodmenunutrition.com) (nutrition-charts.com) (verywellfit.com) (fastfoodnutrition.com)

These Popular Restaurant Chains Have Deadly Chemicals in Their Food (#6) (cheetsheet.com)

Best & Worst Donut at DD (eatthis.com)

The 6 Best Things To Order At DD, According To Nutritionists (womenshealthmag.com)

The Healthiest Coffee Drinks, Breakfasts, and Yes, Doughnuts, at DD (health.com)

Allergy Information

Allergen Information: Dunkin’ Donuts Allergen Guide

Gluten Free Options: Dunkin’ Donuts Gluten-Free Menu (urbantastebud.com)

Dairy Free Options: 

Dunkin’ Donuts Dairy Free Options (godairyfree.org)

Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)

Peanut Free Options: 

Dunkin’ Donuts Peanut & Allergy Information (dunkindonuts.com)

Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)

Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)

 

Does Dunkin’ Donuts Have Any Secret Recipes?

Secret Recipes:  

Dunkin’ Donuts Donuts (topsecretrecipes.com) (allrestaurantrecipes.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Coolatta (topsecretrecipes.com)

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (copykat.com)

Vanilla Filled Doughnuts (geniuskitchen.com)

Boston Cream Donuts (chowhound.com)

Yeast Donuts (chowhound.com)

Glazed Donuts (chowhound.com)

Vanilla Filled Donuts (geniuskitchen.com)

Coffee Coolatta (copykat.com)

 

Did You Know?

Fun Facts: 

Dunkin’ Donuts, the name, started in 1950, but the restaurant began two years earlier in 1948 under the name Open Kettle. 

Open Kettle, founded by Rosenberg, had a more extensive menu selection but Rosenberg being the restaurant mastermind he was realized that most of his sales and profits (40%) were coming from the sales of donuts and coffee. Recognizing that’s what people wanted, he rebranded and focused more on the customer desires thus creating Dunkin’ Donuts.

1.9 billion cups of coffee (hot and cold) is sold annually (source)

The original store is still located at 543 Southern Artery, Quincy, Massachusetts and has been restored to it’s original 1950’s theme.

Rosenberg began franchising the store in 1955.

When the store began in 1950, a donut costs $.05

The first store sold four varieties of donuts and 52 kids total which was unheard of in those days. The array that the restaurant offered was one of the reasons it became so popular.

Throughout its history, the chain has been owned by a British food and spirits company as well as French beverage company before ownership returned to its origin in America in 2012. The restaurant is now owned by Dunkin’ Brands (source)

The company employees full-time coffee tasters who average tasting about 100 cups of coffee per week to ensure quality. There are days, however, where they may test 100 cups in a single day! The testers rate the coffee on a scale of 1-7 with categories of body, balance, sweetness, and aroma. (source)

Have you ever heard of Mister Donut? If so did you know that it was once a family rivalry with Rosenberg and Dunkin? In 1955 Rosenberg’s brother-in-law left the partnership and created his version of the chain called Mister Dunkin. It may not have done as well as Dunkin, but the chain was very successful both domestic and abroad especially in Japan where it is the most popular donut chain. That’s due in part that a Japanese company bought the chain in 1983. If you’re looking for one in America, good luck because only one remains. The last Mister Donut is located in Godfrey, Illinois. (source)

Dunkin’ Brands who owns DD also owns Baskin Robbins.

The world’s largest store is located in Bangkok, Thailand and has been open since 1980. (source)

Each country that has a store has its personalized donut specifically for that country. (source)

Have you ever been to NYC? Next time you go, try and keep up with how many DD shops you can find. The five boroughs of new york have more DD than Starbucks, McDonald’s and Papa John’s…combined! Over 600 of the famous donut shop in NYC alone. (source)

Have you ever wondered where the term Munchkins came from? The Wizzard of Oz of course. The creation came to the store in 1972. (source)

I hate coffee that has been left sitting in the pot. So does this restaurant chain! When getting some coffee once (in the middle of the afternoon), I asked if it was fresh. The employee said that it had to be because they aren’t allowed to have it for more than 18 minutes before pouring it out and making a new pot. In writing this article, I was able to confirm that is, in fact, the policy. Their coffee will be hot, but it won’t be burnt.

Do you think they sell more coffee or donuts? If you said coffee, you would be correct. It’s not just in their sales as the company looks at a slight rebranding to focus even more on their coffee.  A recent store was opened in Pasadena, California that is called merely “Dunkin'” so to focus more on being known for coffee. (source)

June 1 is National Donut Day which means a free donut at Dunkin! For sure worth putting on your summer calendar.

 

Interesting Articles:

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Dunkin’ Donuts (thrillist.com)

A Dozen Facts You Might Not Know About DD (mentalfloss.com)

Dunkin’ Donuts Trivia | New England By the Numbers (newengland.com)

Test Your Knowledge With These 10 Fun Facts (shefinds.com)

30 Things You Don’t Know About Dunkin’ Donuts (eatthis.com)

11 Things You Didn’t Know About DD Coffee (eater.com)

 

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Social Media

Followers (as of September 2018) –  

Facebook: 15,426,803

Twitter: 1,180,000

Instagram: 1,400,000

Mobile Apps

Alternatives

Better Options: Coming Soon

Similar Restaurants: Biggby Coffee

 

In Summary

How fun! What a great restaurant to research and so many trivia items in the almost 70-year history of the company. When I enjoy a restaurant, I’m often nervous about what I’ll find in doing extensive research on them, but in researching DD, I still love their coffee and donuts, but I also love the story and all the details that go with something so American. I realize the debate goes on in our country between Dunkin and Krispy Kreme and there are many divided houses across our great nation, I know, ours is one of them. My loyalty has always been to Dunkin’, still is.

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