Dunkin' grew from a factory-lunch hunch into a chain of fourteen thousand shops
Bill Rosenberg noticed that when he sold food at factories and building sites, coffee and doughnuts outsold everything else. So in 1948 he opened a small shop outside Boston selling just those two things. Renamed Dunkin' Donuts in 1950, it became one of the largest coffee chains on Earth.
Rosenberg's first shop, the Open Kettle in Quincy, Massachusetts, took the name Dunkin' Donuts in late May 1950. His son Bob became chief executive in 1963 at just 25, the year the hundredth location opened. At that point the chain belonged to a small conglomerate of food businesses, and shops varied wildly, some serving full breakfasts and others only coffee and doughnuts. As the other businesses were sold or shut, the menu and store layout were standardised, and in the early 1980s ceramic mugs and counter service gave way to self-service and paper cups.
Ownership changed hands several times. The company went public in 1968 and in 1990 was bought by Allied Lyons, owner of Baskin-Robbins. Buying rival chains, including Mister Donut, founded by Rosenberg's former partner Harry Winokur, and Dawn Donuts, helped it spread across North America. In 2005 a private equity group paid 2.4 billion dollars for the combined business, and in 2020 Inspire Brands bought it for 11.3 billion including debt.
Small details marked the brand. The original doughnut with a handle, meant for dunking, was dropped in 2003 everywhere but Singapore because cutting it by hand cost too much. Advertising produced Fred the Baker, the weary figure muttering that it was time to make the donuts, played by Michael Vale for 16 years; the line later titled Rosenberg's memoir. In 2006 the slogan became America Runs on Dunkin', and in January 2019 the chain dropped Donuts from its name altogether, rebranding as a drinks-first business.
It now runs roughly 14,200 shops spread over 39 countries, with system sales of 14.5 billion dollars, selling bagels, breakfast sandwiches, muffins and doughnut holes called Munchkins alongside its coffee.
Source: Dunkin' Donuts
