45 Facts About Dunkin' Donuts

1.

Dunkin' Donuts LLC, known as Dunkin' and by the initials DD, is an American multinational coffee and doughnut company, as well as a quick service restaurant.

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2.

The chain was acquired by Baskin-Robbins's holding company Allied Lyons in 1990; its acquisition of the Mister Donut chain and the conversion of that chain to Dunkin' Donuts facilitated the brand's growth in North America that year.

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3.

Dunkin' Donuts conceived the idea for the restaurant after his experiences selling food in factories and at construction sites, where donuts and coffee were the two most popular items.

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4.

Dunkin' Donuts was a subsidiary of Universal Food Systems at the time, a conglomerate of 10 small food-service businesses, and Dunkin' Donuts locations varied greatly in their menu options, with some selling full breakfasts and others serving only donuts and coffee.

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5.

Dunkin' Donuts expanded in the 1990s by buying out two rival chains: Mister Donut and Dawn Donuts.

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6.

In January 2018, Dunkin' Donuts began to open new concept locations, beginning in Quincy, featuring modern decor, cold beverages on tap and a single-cup brewing machine, more packaged take-out options, and dedicated pick-up lines for mobile ordering inside and in the drive-thru.

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7.

In February 2018, Dunkin' Donuts announced plans to phase out polystyrene foam cups globally for environmental purposes by April 2020.

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8.

Also late 2018, Dunkin' Donuts installed espresso machines at all possible locations and launched espresso products using a new recipe.

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9.

In June 2019, Dunkin' Donuts partnered with Grubhub to begin the rollout of its new Dunkin' Donuts Delivers service.

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10.

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.

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11.

In September 2019, the New York attorney general's office alleged in a lawsuit that Dunkin' Donuts mishandled a series of cyberattacks that were directed at customers using the Dunkin' Donuts mobile app.

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12.

The state lawsuit alleges that Dunkin' Donuts employees knew about these attacks, but failed to take appropriate action.

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13.

In October 2020, Dunkin' Donuts Brands stated that the company was in conversation with Inspire Brands, a private equity-backed company, negotiating to sell the company.

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14.

Dunkin' Donuts changed its slogan in March 2006 to "America Runs on Dunkin".

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15.

In 2007, a series of Dunkin' Donuts commercials referred to the fictional language "Fritalian".

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16.

In May 2008, Dunkin' Donuts removed a commercial from its website featuring Ray wearing a scarf with a black and white paisley floral design, in response to columnist Michelle Malkin's claims that the scarf resembled the keffiyeh worn by Yasser Arafat and therefore a sign of support for terrorists.

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17.

Dunkin' Donuts pulled that commercial off the air, leading to criticism of the company's perceived kowtowing to special interests.

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18.

Dunkin' Donuts acknowledged that "Dunkin" was already a common shorthand name for the chain among customers and in its marketing, 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 consume fewer donuts.

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19.

Dunkin' Donuts 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.

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20.

In 2001, Dunkin' Donuts purchased the naming rights for the former Providence Civic Center, and renamed it the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

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21.

In 2015, Dunkin' Donuts was announced as the named sponsor of the baseball park in Hartford, Connecticut, new home of the Hartford Yard Goats baseball team.

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22.

Dunkin' Donuts signed a sponsorship deal with the National Women's Hockey League in December 2015.

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23.

In 2016, Dunkin' Donuts became the official "coffee, donut and breakfast sandwich partner" of the National Hockey League.

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24.

In July 2013, Dunkin' Donuts announced that it has signed its first Southern California multi-unit store development agreements with four franchise groups for a total commitment of 45 new restaurants.

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25.

Since March 2014, Dunkin' Donuts has opened several additional locations throughout California, including the Los Angeles area.

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26.

Dunkin' Donuts shops opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in Walnut Creek, Half Moon Bay, and American Canyon in 2016, as well as South San Francisco and Fremont, in 2017.

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27.

In 2008, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first restaurant in Shanghai, representing the first step in its China expansion strategy.

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28.

In January 2014, Dunkin' Donuts relaunched in England 20 years after it exited the country with its store opening in Harrow, London.

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29.

In early December 2015, Dunkin' Donuts opened their first cafe in 13 years in Warsaw, Poland.

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30.

In November 2014, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first store in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh inside Z Square Mall.

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31.

Term "Donuts" was already trademarked by one of the largest Spanish bakery firms, Panrico, so the company was born as a joint venture between Dunkin' Donuts' then-parent Allied Domecq and Panrico in order to use the brand name "Dunkin' Donuts".

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32.

One of the main 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.

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33.

In September 2018, after 57 years of operating in Canada, Dunkin' Donuts ceased business in that country when it refused to renew its franchise license to the few remaining stores left.

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34.

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

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35.

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

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36.

Dunkin' Donuts still has locations in United States military bases, which are open only to military personnel.

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37.

Dunkin' Donuts Israel was an Israeli franchise of the chain.

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38.

Dunkin' Donuts Israel opened their first location within Israel in 1996 in Tel Aviv.

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39.

At the peak, Dunkin' Donuts had 9 branches in Israel, of their original goal of 15, including 3 in Jerusalem.

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40.

Dunkin' Donuts was criticized by one of its franchisees for allegedly forcing single-store owners to agree to a buyout at a loss for minor infractions.

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41.

Dunkin' Donuts sued franchise owners 154 times from 2006 to April 2008.

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42.

In May 2010, Dunkin' Donuts was criticized for advertising "Free Iced Coffee Day" on its national Facebook page, which took place in only 13 cities.

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43.

Dunkin' Donuts was criticized for the advertisement, with the Human Rights Watch calling the advertisement "bizarre and racist".

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44.

Nancy Lewis, in Canaan, Connecticut, began a petition in January 2014 to request that Dunkin' Donuts donate their unsold food to local shelters and food banks in her area after seeing her local shop regularly throwing away "large amounts" of unsold food.

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45.

Dunkin' Donuts's said because the company has no official policy on the redistribution of its unsold food items to shelters or food banks, and employees are not allowed to take any home, many affiliates throw all of the goods away.

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