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Have You Been To The Original Dunkin? 13 Fun Facts About Massachusetts’ Favorite Brand

By Carolyn Kruse

America runs on it. Massachusetts can’t get enough of it. And Boston has become famous for it. Dunkin’ is the coffee shop OG. Did you know the very first shop was set up in Quincy, Massachusetts? It’s still there today. You can pop in, get your regular iced, and park where a 1950 Chevy Belair may well have once been parked. Have you been to the Original Dunkin? 13 fun facts about Massachusetts’ favorite brand are laid out here for you to drink in and share.

But let’s go back to where it all began, at 543 Southern Artery in Quincy. It was 1948 and a caterer by the name of Caterer William Rosenberg started a business that served coffee and donuts to Quincy locals. He originally named it Open Kettle. In 1950 Rosenberg changed the name to Dunkin’ Donuts and the rest is sweet and tasty history. (news.dunkindonuts.com and Eat This Not That)

But there is so much more to it than that. There are munchkins of insights and fun facts to explore here. Ben Affleck would appreciate this.  I have personal history with the brand, as my father served in a pivotal role for the company, when they were based in Randolph. He served as Senior VP of Marketing Operation at Dunkin’ Donuts. He helped to launch Dunkin’ Munchins! And here I am today, writing about the brand we all know, love and have grown up “running on.”

Now, what I want to know is…have you been to the original Dunkin? 13 fun facts about Massachusetts favorite brand are about to unfold. I’ll pour it for you now.

  • 1. The OG

    Here she is, in all her glory of the day. The OG. The original Dunkin’ Donuts on Southern Artery in Quincy, Massachusetts. Back in 1950 Dunkin Donuts’ slogan was “World’s Finest Coffee.” (Which was pretty much on every coffee shop door after that.) Rumor has it (and dunkindonuts.com) that an “Executive Architect came up with the name, inspired by the idea of dunking donuts into coffee. Four years later, Rosenberg had already opened five locations.”

     

  • 2. You know how Munchkins got their name

    Dunkin’Munchkins came to life in 1973. It was a fun and economical way of marketing the leftover dough from making donuts. According to Eat This Not That, they were named after the characters in the movie, the Wizard of Oz. Obviously these were marketed to kids, who loved the lunch box shaped container they came in and the sharability factor. 

    Blog

    Find out what's brewin' at Dunkin'

  • 3. A Donut For Every Country

    When traveling, visit a Dunkin’ and you’ll likely find a special donut that was made just for locals there. Every location has a donut that “reflects the local cuisine and culture for each country it’s in.” (Eat This Not That). For instance, in South Korea there is a red bean donut. In China you an get on topped with shredded pork!

  • 4. How many beans?

    According to Dunkin’, over 2,000 beans go into making 1 pound of their coffee. They even have “expert” taste testers that sample up to 200 cups a day to ensure the quality of the coffee. Imagine the engery in that office!

    Dunkin iced

    (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for NYCWFF)

     

     

  • 5. Robert Kraft Runs On Dunkin' on Game Days

    Back in 2010 the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, told Boston Magazine, “”When we win I like to go inside my local Dunkin’ Donuts for my ‘large with milk, no sugar.’ When we lose, I go through the drive-through.” I wonder if he wears a baseball cap and sunglasses at the drive-through on losing days…

  • 6. Dunkin' and Community Service

    Dunkin’ established The Joy in Childhood Foundation.The organization has donated more than $16 million to help kids battling hunger or illnesses through hundreds of local and national charities.

  • 7. America Runs on America's Favorite Coffee

    Dunkin’ is America’s favorite coffee chain! It’s official. According to a Harris Poll survey of more than 45,000 people, Dunkin is favored over other brands, like Starbucks. Dunkin’ is often favored in any competition.

  • 8. Why did Dunkin' drop the "Donuts"

    According to workstream.com, back in September of 2018, “Dunkin’ told the world that they want to be on a “first-name basis” with their customers and removed ‘Donuts’ from their brand name.” Apparently by dropping the “donuts” they expanded their demographics, aiming to bring in younger customers by giving them what they really wanted…more caffeine! It worked. Now, roughly 60 percent of their sales are from coffee and coffee-related beverages.

    Dunkin sign

    (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

     

     

  • 9. The Stats

    Coffeeaffection.com reported that in 2021, Dunkin’ had 12,700 stores operating in 40 countries worldwide. It’s come a looooong way since Southern Artery in Quincy, Mass.

     

  • 10. Still the same Coffee

    This is a fun fact, apparently all Dunkin’ franchises use the same original coffee blend that Rosenburg created back at his original location in Quincy, according to The Fact Site. 

    Dunkin' Donuts

    (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

  • 11. Dunkin in Spain has a slightly different name

    It’s Dunkin’ Coffee, when in Spain… So, when in Rome, I mean Barcelona, make sure you ask, “Where is the closest Dunkin’ Coffee?”

  • 12. Dunkin' Weddings

    It’s happened. People have actually gotten married at Dunkin’ stores. Now, that’s committment…to coffee. According to thefactsite.com, in 2010 a New Jersey couple got hitched at their favorite local Dunkin’. They reportedly met their for dates, before getting married.

    Then in 2019 another couple got married at a Dunkin’ store, after they had broken up at that same store! The best part of the story was after the broke up, they didn’t see each other for 25 years. Their paths crossed, and the rest is Dunkin’ history. That was in Worcester, MA.  But there are more stories of Dunkin’ love.

  • 13. WHO has the most Dunkin' locations? You won't believe it.

    It’s almost blasphemy! New York City? How can that be?  Well, it is a very large city. Here’s the rest of the story (according to scrapehero.com)

    State / Territory Number of stores Population Population per store
    New York 1,415 (15%) 19.45M 13.75K
    Massachusetts 1,071 (11%) 6.89M 6.44K
    Florida 886 (9%) 21.48M 24.24K
    New Jersey 868 (9%) 8.88M 10.23K
    Illinois 694 (7%) 12.67M 18.26K
    Pennsylvania 631 (7%) 12.80M 20.29K
    Connecticut 481 (5%) 3.56M 7.41K
    Maryland 305 (3%) 6.05M 19.82K
    Georgia 269 (3%) 10.62M 39.47K
    Ohio 246 (3%) 11.69M 47.52K

    Number of Dunkin' Donuts locations in the USA in 2024 | ScrapeHero

    There are 9,623 Dunkin Donuts locations in the United States as of April 02, 2024. The state/territory with the most number of Dunkin Donuts locations in the US is New York with 1,431 locations, which is 14% of all Dunkin Donuts locations in America.

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