Today, I had a craving for Dunkin Donuts' Choco Wacko, which made me curious about the history of the company. As I observed various franchises, I noticed that Dunkin Donuts has improved a lot over the years in terms of its donut taste, coffee blend, branding, and endorsers. They were one of the first to spot the bright future of SB19 and took a gamble on them. I suspect that their corporate structure has something to do with the quality of their ingredients. They often conduct surveys at their branches and give free donuts to those who participate.
Dunkin Donuts was founded by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts in the 1950s. It was rumored that they got their name from the concept of dunking a donut into the coffee. It was later acquired by Baskin Robbins until it was sold to Inspire Brands in 2020. Dunkin Donuts arrived in the Philippines in the 1980s, with its first branch in Quad Park Makati City, and expanded to Cebu under Golden Era Food chain.
I wasn't a big fan of Dunkin Donuts before. I found it too sweet, and too expensive, and their marketing strategies were ineffective. However, in 2019, they started a rebranding campaign that improved their products, with more varieties of donuts and better-tasting coffee. I appreciate that they now offer a range of prices for their donuts, from more affordable options to premium ones. They also updated their store design, getting younger endorsers and creating pop-up stores. They added more flavors of munchkins, introduced bagels, and created cute and affordable merchandise. I also noticed that they have partnerships with Kpop and Ppop, and they create different flavors of donuts depending on the country.
Dunkin Donuts' largest international market is South Korea, with 900 outlets, three times more than McDonald's and more than Starbucks. Their coffee is excellent because South Korea is the home to Dunkin Donuts' only coffee roasting plant outside the U.S. Recently, they have cute ads featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and a Christmas jingle with SB19 that was a big hit. Overall, I noticed that Dunkin Donuts has improved and become a perfect blend of high-end and affordable.