Big plans for Dunkin Donuts....

Good Morning, all!!! First off...I hope I chose the right category for this...

Anyway. Dunkin Donuts has BIG plans for Indianapolis...80 new stores in the next few years.

And, my take on the story is that they're going to try to bite into the Starbuck's market.

Any thoughts?

Here's the story:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/BUSINESS/706280429

I don't care if they go after Starbucks but I doubt they can beat them at the coffee game until they understand the rest of the country doesn't drink coffee like New Englanders. I went into a Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts and ordered a regular coffee thinking I would get black but got a dose of sugar and cream. Then when I got that straightened out the black coffee tasted like a Folgers out of the can.

Dunkin Donuts' donuts are OK but not great. Anything is better than a scone or muffin. I just hope Hoosiers don't abandon Long's Bakery. It is the independent I worry about more than Starbucks.

I haven't had either Dunkin Donut's or Starbuck's coffee in several years. Now living in southern New Mexico what little coffee I drink has been consumed by sunrise. Previously living in Seattle and Chicago before retiring, I enjoyed both coffees with regularity. I was pleased with DD's coffee. Certainly far less expensive. If they are able to nail down quality control in multiple locations, I believe they have an opportunity for success. Anyone interested in purchasing our slightly used espresso machine?

Starbucks is over roasted for me and DD does not have the fresh hot doughnuts that I enjoy. DD cerrtainly has the variety though.

Sounds like everyone in Indianapolis will have plenty of doughtnuts though. 80 stores?. Sounds like they have really good credit.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Are some of them going to be co-branded stores with Baskin Robbins or has that idea now started to bite the dust? (Around here, about half of the Dunkin Donuts are co-branded.)

Davydd

I'd think that any chain would serve "regular" coffee as what the norm is for regular in the area. When I lived in NYC, regular was coffee with milk, at DD or anywhere else. When I moved back to New England I had to change my order to milk, no sugar.

It's similar with burger chains. In many parts of the country, a standard McD's, BK or any other puts mustard on a burger unless you request otherwise. When I lived in NYC, the only chain that had mustard was Roy Rogers.

DD has pretty deep pockets and I'm sure they've done their research. If they are able to control the franchisees, they will probably do well. And locals will either become DD addicts or will learn to avoid driving near the stores because of the addicts' erratic driving behavior.

Ashphalt,

I caught on quick and corrected it as I mentioned. In Minnesota if you want anything in your coffee you have t ask for it. The barista might ask you if you want the cup full or a little room to add milk. I drink my coffee and tea straight and unadulterated.

So you think Dunkin Donuts did their research like Krispy Kreme did theirs? One advantage they have is that Starbucks was a late arrival to Indianapolis and they are not totally ingrained. Dunkin Donuts would have a tougher time in Minneapolis as we not only have Starbucks but a strong competitor in Caribou and a strong local chain in Dunn Bros. We are so saturated with coffee shops that even out on the fringe suburbs where I live near Lake Minnetonka we have two independents, a Starbucks, four Caribous, and a Dunn Bros. within two miles of our house. I don't think Indianapolis is as saturated.

While I am not really a fan of Starbucks, at least their coffee quality has been consistent in my experience. (Consistently too strong in most cases, but at least consistent) By contrast, while some Dunkin Donuts stores serve decent coffee, I have found it to be a real "hit or miss" proposition, with at least 30-40% of the DD locations that I have visited serving something that resembles a cross between weak coffee and dishwater, rather than something that could really be called coffee.

And, of course, for anyone who has ever lived in NYC or in northern NJ, the so-called bagels that are sold by DD are...well, I don't really know what they are, but they are certainly NOT bagels!

Luckily, I now know which DD locations in my state to avoid like the plague, but when traveling I still encounter quite a few disasterous cups of coffee at DD locations. And, that is why I now tend to patronize McDonald's for their coffee, as it now seems to be consistently good from one McD's location to another. Apparently, McDonald's did their homework regarding high quality coffee beans and apparently they enforce coffee quality standards with their franchisees--unlike DD!

So, for those of you in Indianapolis who are about to be invaded by Dunkin Donuts, I suggest that you try to remember which ones serve decent coffee because it will surely not be very many of them!

It's not just Indianapolis. Dunkin Donuts is planning on tripleing their stores to 15,000 and start selling its branded coffee in over 40,000 grocery stores in a deal with Proctor & Gamble. Private equity interest bought Dunkin Donuts last year. Here is the link...

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070813/dunkin_donuts_p_g.html?.v=2

I guess DD didn't learn anything from KK. Rapid over-expansion without Quality control equals Disaster! Anyone want to buy my Krispy Kreame Stock???????

quote:

Originally posted by Foodbme

I guess DD didn't learn anything from KK. Rapid over-expansion without Quality control equals Disaster! Anyone want to buy my Krispy Kreame Stock???????

Or Boston Market for that matter?

I love their coffee and donuts. I've never received it with cream and sugar unless I've asked for it that way. Here in Texas, it's hard to find a donut shop except KK that's open past 11 am. and I'm not a morning person. Selection is very limited. Most of the ones here are opened next to a nail salon and a Chinese restaurant and the same person owns all three. I'm hoping they open one near where I live. There's a good chance because in the eight yrs. that I have lived here, Mansfield TX, the population rose from 15,000 to 58,000 and commercial development has increased proportionately.

The amount of Dunkin Donuts locations that have opened in NYC in the past year is terrifying. They seem to be on every corner. I don't know how they can possibly compete with each other. The local donut/coffee dump has just about disappeared. My favorite one was bulldozed a few months ago, on the corner of 86 and Lex (the entire city block was razed, including Pastrami Queen). I buy Dunkin Donuts coffee. I like mellow coffee and theirs is mellow indeed. I don't eat the sugary fried crap that their factories churn out.

For a good, no, GREAT fresh donut, try The Donut Plant down on Grand Street in Manhattan. They do both yeast and cake varieties. The tres leches is great. Cool website, too: [url]www.donutplant.com[/url]

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee

quote:

Originally posted by Foodbme

I guess DD didn't learn anything from KK. Rapid over-expansion without Quality control equals Disaster! Anyone want to buy my Krispy Kreame Stock???????

Or Boston Market for that matter?

If you are still holding stock in Boston Market, contact your broker immediately! You were supposed to receive McDonald's stock when BM was bought out by Mickey D's. And, even if the recently proposed sale of Boston Market is approved by the SEC, you are still entitled to that McDonald's stock.

80 new Dunkin Donuts stores for a large city like Indy doesn't seem all that much considering...

Martinsburg, West Virginia ( population 17,000 ) according to their local media ( WEPM & WRNR radio )is supposed to get 10 new stores within the next year or two. I have to agree with Pigiron, how can they compete with each other? At that rate, if Martinsburg had a population of just 167,000 ( far less than half of the population of Indy ), they could tie with Indianapolis in terms of new Dunkin Donuts stores.

Talk about overkill !! But then again thats nothing new for that region, just to the south in Winchester, Virginia ( population 26,000 ) that area has 8 McDonalds with two more planned for the next year. Nick Nerangas Enterprises owns that Micky D francise. I am very surprised McDonalds hasn't step in and say to Nick "..wait a minute !!!!".

quote:

Originally posted by chriscubva

80 new Dunkin Donuts stores for a large city like Indy doesn't seem all that much considering...

Martinsburg, West Virginia ( population 17,000 ) according to their local media ( WEPM & WRNR radio )is supposed to get 10 new stores within the next year or two. I have to agree with Pigiron, how can they compete with each other? At that rate, if Martinsburg had a population of just 167,000 ( far less than half of the population of Indy ), they could tie with Indianapolis in terms of new Dunkin Donuts stores.

Talk about overkill !! But then again thats nothing new for that region, just to the south in Winchester, Virginia ( population 26,000 ) that area has 8 McDonalds with two more planned for the next year. Nick Nerangas Enterprises owns that Micky D francise. I am very surprised McDonalds hasn't step in and say to Nick "..wait a minute !!!!".

Here in the greater Boston area, a town of 30,000 to 60,000 people will have anywhere from 10 to 20 DD's. Sometimes I swear that they could build two or three of them right next door to each other and they would all be busy.

My town of 18,000 in central MA has four DD's, including two that are within 1/4 of a mile of each other, on the same road.

quote:

Originally posted by Wistah

quote:

Originally posted by chriscubva

80 new Dunkin Donuts stores for a large city like Indy doesn't seem all that much considering...

Martinsburg, West Virginia ( population 17,000 ) according to their local media ( WEPM & WRNR radio )is supposed to get 10 new stores within the next year or two. I have to agree with Pigiron, how can they compete with each other? At that rate, if Martinsburg had a population of just 167,000 ( far less than half of the population of Indy ), they could tie with Indianapolis in terms of new Dunkin Donuts stores.

Talk about overkill !! But then again thats nothing new for that region, just to the south in Winchester, Virginia ( population 26,000 ) that area has 8 McDonalds with two more planned for the next year. Nick Nerangas Enterprises owns that Micky D francise. I am very surprised McDonalds hasn't step in and say to Nick "..wait a minute !!!!".

Here in the greater Boston area, a town of 30,000 to 60,000 people will have anywhere from 10 to 20 DD's. Sometimes I swear that they could build two or three of them right next door to each other and they would all be busy.

My town of 18,000 in central MA has four DD's, including two that are within 1/4 of a mile of each other, on the same road.

I can't help but thinking that by building so many of these places so close by, well that makes the quality go just that much worse?

I have been to many of those so-called DDs that were a combined operation with other chains ( usually with Baskin-Robbins, Subway and even Jerrys Subs & Pizza ). all I can say is yuck !! The same donuts that were there at 8am are still there at 7pm that night. And many of thse places are self-serve too. Convience it may be but is it really sanitary?

Once I went to a Baskin-Robbins/DD/Subway combo. Only one clerk was working in the entire place ( my father-in-law says that is the norm at that location ). Not only was she making subs at Subway but had to take care of the cars at the gas pumps and ring up those who want other things. She even had to stop making my sub at Subway so she could ring up someone who was in hurry to buy a pack of Marlboro Lights.

Oh that DD, saw a few teenagers there grabbing the donuts by their bare hands, deciding they didn't want them and put them back with the other donuts not too mention I saw a few others who were sticking their hands in that Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

All in the name of saving money I suppose. Either way its yuck.

Most Dunkin Donut stores screwed up thier best donut!

CHOCOLATE FROSTED!!!!!!

Most of them add sprinkles to it and its horrible,i like PLAIN things.....

Ah well......

I am originally from Boston..now living in Ohio. Interestingly, when I was growing up, there were a lot of DD in the area but not nearly as many as now. Anyone in the Boston area remember Mister Donut, another chain that has its' roots in Quincy, MA? DD bought them in the early 90s and started the megaboom of DD in the northeast. You are right, in the Boston area a very small area can have several within walking distance. Now living in Ohio there are not too many donut chains. Local Jolly Pirate is down to a few stores. There are some Tim Hortons here but not enough to say they own a market. And Krispy Kreme has pulled out of the market, but still sells them in grocery stores, gas stations, etc. The places around here, including grocery stores, are pretty good. But when it comes to coffee, DD is the best. There are only two here in Columbus and I only go when I am in the area they are (quite a drive from me). I like starbucks..I like independents as well. But I would be ok with a few more DD popping up around Columbus.

anyone know if there are any Dunkin Donut stores in St. Louis? It seems like they all closed.

I hope that Dunkin navigates a bit north of Indy and comes up to Lafayette--I understand in the 80's we had two but one burned down and never came back and another just went out of business--I love DD--they are soo much better than Krispy Kreme....

Terrible donuts, bad coffee, and the worst service. I will try my best never to walk into a dd again.

Pdasilva - The founders of Dunkin and Mr. Donut were Brothers-in-law who had been in business together, but after a parting of ways one opened Mr. Donut as a direct competitor.

Must have been fun around the holicays.

I found one of those franchising websites that reports that in 2007, there are ZERO corporate-owned DD restaurants. No wonder DD is going like gang busters. They do not provide financing to the franchisees themselves. They have nothing to lose. They are selling franchises, not donuts.