Dunkin' Donuts

In 1948, William Rosenberg and Stephen So opened his first restaurant, Open Kettle, in Quincy, Massachusetts before renaming it Dunkin' Donuts in 1950.

In 2004, the company's headquarters were relocated to Canton. The following year, four-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee Stan Frankenthaler was appointed the company's first Executive Chef/Director of Culinary Development.

In 2008, Dunkin' Donuts opened its first "green" store in St. Petersburg, Florida. The restaurant is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified and includes programs like worm composting (which "will eat the waste produced by the store, such as coffee grounds and paper products ... convert[ing it] into fertilizer for local farms and gardens"), water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and the use of well water rather than potable water for all irrigation. On December 10, 2008, Nigel Travis was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Dunkin’ Brands. He also assumed the role of Dunkin’ Donuts President at the end of 2009.

In 2010, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $6 billion. In 2011, Dunkin' Donuts earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for the fifth year in a row.

In April 2012, Dunkin' Donuts switched its beverage products back to The Coca-Cola Company having served PepsiCo products in response to similar rivals expanding PepsiCo products to the United States in 2011. The only exception was PepsiCo's Gatorade. Locations in Canada were unaffected by the switch, although a location in Montreal's Eaton Centre serves Nestea along with mostly PepsiCo products.

Dunkin' Donuts, along with Baskin-Robbins, is co-owned by Dunkin' Brands Inc. (known as Allied Domecq Quick Service Restaurants, when it was a part of Allied Domecq). Dunkin' Brands used to own the Togo's chain, but sold it in late 2007 to a private equity firm. Dunkin' Brands was owned by French beverage company Pernod Ricard S.A. after it purchased Allied Domecq. They reached an agreement in December 2005 to sell the brand to a consortium of three private-equity firms, Bain Capital Partners, the Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners.

The company's largest competitors include Krispy Kreme donuts, Starbucks, and small locally owned donut shops. In Canada and parts of the northern United States, Tim Hortons is a major competitor. In Colombia, Donut Factory had been its local rival, and Dunkin' has adapted its doughnut selection to local tastes. Mister Donut had been its largest competitor in the United States before the company was bought by Dunkin' Donuts' parent company. The Mister Donut stores were rebranded as Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin controls the trademark rights to the Mister Donut trademark through various new and amended older trademark registrations with the USPTO.

Products

A display of donuts at a Dunkin Donuts'franchise.

A box of a dozen donutsDunkin' Donuts has more than 1,000 doughnut varieties along with other products.

• Hot beverages
  • Bulk coffee
  • Cappuccino
  • Dunkaccino
  • Espresso
  • Hot chocolate
  • Hot coffee
  • Hot tea
  • Latte
  • Vanilla Chai

• Iced beverages
  • Iced coffee
  • Iced latte
  • Iced teas

• Frozen beverages
  • Coolattas
  • Frozen coffees

• Bakery goods
  • Bagels
  • Cookies
  • Danishes
  • Doughnuts
  • Hash browns
  • Muffins
  • Munchkins

• Sandwiches
  • Oven-toasted sandwiches
  • Wraps
  • Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich.

Since October 18, 2007, Dunkin' Donuts locations in the United States have reduced trans fats from their menu items by switching to a blend of palm,soybean, and cottonseed oils. International locations are expected to adopt the change in the coming years. The DDSmart menu features items that are reduced in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium by no less than 25 percent.