Dunkin’ Donuts History

Written by: Paige Leal

There are many popular coffee places, but there is only one that is widely known for its coffees and donuts. Its theme colors are pink and orange,very bright and fun. Today, Dunkin’ is known for much more than donuts, but its story started with a small shop and its ambitious founder carrying the important combination: coffee and donuts.

First Establishment

The story of Dunkin’ began in 1948 when William “Bill” Rosenberg opened a restaurant called Open Kettle in Quincy, Massachusetts. The shop sold donuts, coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. Rosenberg noticed that coffee and donuts were especially popular, so he decided to focus on the combination. In 1950, Open Kettle officially became Dunkin’ Donuts. The name came from the simple idea of dunking a donut into coffee. It obviously stuck because it was good enough to become an entire brand, just proving how catchy and unique the brand's name is. 

New Ideas

From the beginning, coffee was a huge part of Rosenberg’s plan. He wanted to serve high-quality coffee along with fresh donuts, and the company says it still uses the original coffee blend recipe created by its founder. Over the years, Dunkin’ expanded its coffee menu to include flavored coffee, iced coffee, espresso drinks, lattes, macchiatos, cold brew, and more. There are now so many combinations that Dunkin’ has said customers can order thousands of different coffee variations.

Menu Expanding

As the company grew, its menu continued to expand. Munchkins donut hole treats arrived in 1972, muffins were added in 1978, bagels appeared in 1996, and breakfast sandwiches followed in 1997, and the menu just kept growing. Today, customers can choose from donuts, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, hash browns, teas, frozen drinks, and a huge variety of coffee beverages. 

Dunkin’ also grew far beyond its original Massachusetts location. The first franchise opened in Worcester in 1955, and the company eventually expanded across the United States and around the world. What started as one small restaurant became a huge coffee and baked-goods brand with thousands of locations making it one of the most popular coffee shops in the world. 

For Dunkin’ starting out as a small shop known as Open Kettle to a global coffee favorite, it has come a very long way.