“Time to make the donuts!”*** Or eat the donuts, or not eat the donuts, whatever…
It’s up to you in the end, you decide!
Either way, we’re here to uncover 10 secrets Dunkin’ does not want for you to find out!
Some Signature Tastes Are Not What You Think They Are!
Dunkin’ may just be the catfish of the fast-food industry.
Ever frequent your favorite spot, over, and over again, just to find out that the product
you have been sold is actually a big ol’ dose of deception?
Well, according to one social media user who used to work at Dunkin’ (and definitely
wanted to get fired), the D in Dunkin’ may actually stand for deception after all.
Hannah, also known as hannz57 on TikTok, went viral when she began exposing some Dunkin’
secrets that the company definitely did not want the public to find out about.
Hannah reveals a whole slew of insider information about the popular restaurant, including that
highly adored menu items such as the “Sweet Cold Foam” that customers have grown to
know and love is actually Reddi-Whip (dun, dun, dun!).
The shock!
The horror!
The deception!
That’s right, there’s nothing Dunkin’ about it.
The deception continues with Dunkin’s French Vanilla and Pink Velvet syrups used in the
company’s drinks.
According to Hannah, the two flavors are actually “the exact same thing” (with obviously
the exception of at least some food coloring).
Hannz57’s videos raise many important questions but one seems to linger more than others:
if Dunkin’ is lying about this, what else are they lying about?
Smell The Marketing…No Really, Smell It!
Sniff it all in… do you smell that?
Apparently, according to marketing research, your nostrils play a big part in decision
making.
That’s right, companies are targeting your nose in order to encourage you to spend more
money at their establishments!
The intricacies of scent marketing are a little borderline unethical but also kind of genius
(not to mention effective) at the same time.
One example of scent marketing took place in South Korea in 2012.
Dunkin’ had city buses sprayed with the artificial scent of donuts and coffee during
the morning commute using air freshener style devices.
The initiative was called “Flavor Radio” and in the end was rather successful.
Dunkin’ saw a visitor increase of 16% at shops located by bus stops, and a 29% spike
in sales at those same shops.
Dunkin’ coupled the spraying of the coffee scent with a radio jingle.
So every time the jingle would play on the radio, *poof,* out came a spray of artificial
Dunkin’ goodness.
Companies often utilize the authentic scents of their cooking to attract customers to come
inside, but Dunkin’ went the extra mile with “Flavor Radio”.
Indeed, they saw positive results from their multi-sensory campaign and now in Seoul, more
people associate their morning coffee with a stop at Dunkin’.
Conflicting & Controversial Donut Disposal Policy
Every company has it’s policies, and some make more sense to the general public than
others.
This one is a little divisive to say the least.
In January of 2021, TikTok user bryanjohnston_ showed the world just how much waste there
is at the end of a Dunkin’ shift, and the display was alarming to many.
The sheer number of pastries thrown out was a wasteful demonstration of row after row
(after row) of donuts being piled into the garbage one after the next, eventually filling
the bin.
Shortly after uploading his TikTok (that has received 33.1 million views to date, by the
way), Bryan was fired from his job at the quick service eatery.
He claims that corporate contacted his manager about the revealing video and as a result,
he was let go from his position.
Bryan had also made videos where he donates leftover donuts from the end of his shift
to both firefighters and homeless individuals.
While it is not Dunkin’ policy to donate remaining goods to shelters or organizations,
there is technically no policy barring employees from taking it upon themselves to give away
some delicious desserts to those who are hungry.
That being said, there is some confusion and conflicting info around the exact company
guidelines regarding this issue, so if you’ve got the 411 on this policy, let us know in
the comments!
Unique Donuts in Every Country Every country is as unique as the next, and
the unique culture of each region deserves to be celebrated.
And if you’ve ever been traveling abroad, you may have noticed varying menu items between
the same franchised businesses.
Dunkin’, for one, pays special homage to every country that it operates in by making
a specific type of donut related to the local culture.
Some examples of these country-specific donuts are the shredded-pork topped-donut in China
and South Korea’s red bean donut.
While seemingly random to us here in North America, having a donut that is representative
of a given country is a good look.
Not only does it demonstrate to locals that you are not fully imposing your Americanized
customs, but it also demonstrates an inclusiveness of local cultures.
Not to mention it being a smart business move.
Take the shredded-pork topped-donut in China, for example.
The inclusion of pork and more savory flavors mixed with sweet ones appeals to many Chinese
customers on a grander scale.
It’s just a plain ol’ smart business tactic, even if to Americans it may seem like a strange
culinary decision.
Truth be told, we could go for a red bean donut right about now.
Although, It just may cost a tiny bit extra to get one considering we’re oceans apart
from South Korea.
Follow The Yellow brick Road…
To Munchkins!
When a donut seems like too much for our appetites we often opt for the smaller option of the
two, also known as “Munchkins.”
If you’re wondering about the pop culture reference origins of the name of the bite-sized
treat, you’re not wrong!
Yes, munchkins do in fact get their name from the Wizard of Oz characters.
When Munchkins first hit the Dunkin’ menu in 1972, they were marketed towards children
as opposed to adults.
Mom or Dad would have the full-sized donut while 5-year old Billy was good to go with
a couple of munchkins.
Nowadays, we know that munchkins are for everyone, young and old alike.
FYI though, you can’t just buy one single munchkin at a time!
The minimum is different from store to store, but it would appear as though if you want
just one munchkin you’re actually required to leave the popular doughnut shop with a
minimum of 4!
The OG Original Cost Versus Now
Inflation being what it is, of course prices are going to rise over the years.
But, when you find out just how much they have risen, it’s hard to even imagine that
they were ever that low to begin with.
Back when Bill Rosenberg founded Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950, a
cup of coffee only cost a grand total of (drumroll please…) 10 cents!
That’s right a dime!
One single dime!
Meanwhile, a donut only cost a nickel.
So if you had 15 cents, you had breakfast or break time sorted out for the day!
Nowadays, a single donut from Dunkin’ in… ooooh, let’s say New York, will cost you
a whopping 1 dollar and 30 cents!
That’s an increase of a dollar and 25 cents over the course of 7 decades!
And, if you fancy a coffee anytime soon, you’ll have to cough up between just over $2 dollars
for a small size or about $3 bucks for an extra large cup of joe at Dunkin’.
Times definitely have changed over the years.
Still, even though prices have gone up, in comparison to let’s say Starbucks, we’re
really getting a bargain at Dunkin’.
The average price of a Starbucks drink in the US is around $2.75, while purchasing a
tall cappuccino in New York City will have you running up a bill of around $3.25.
From 10 cents to over $2 dollars, inflation didn’t come to mess around!
Which begs the question: if our favorite snack time orders have risen in price this much
since the start, how much will they rise over the course of the next 70 years?
One has to wonder…
An Exclusive Dunkin’ Donuts Black Card If you thought that the AMEX Black Card situation
was elite, try getting into the Dunkin Donuts Black Card club.
Join the upper echelons of the donut and coffee society and try to get your hands on a DD
Black Card.
Qualifications?
Be passionate about Dunkin’, be loyal to the company, and be chosen.
It’s as simple as that.
According to Lindsay Cronin of Dunkin’s public relations team, the card is only “gifted
on occasion to select fans in appreciation for their loyalty and passion for the brand.”
Another loophole to get the card is to become a celebrity, but that seems like a whole lot
of hoop-jumping for a loyalty card that pretty much doesn’t do anything at all.
Lindsay Cronin continues saying that the Black Card, “is not any kind of formal program,
but rather a personalized, rechargeable gift card.”
Cronin says that the DD Black Card is basically sent to Dunkin’ loyalists occasionally as
a “token of appreciation,” so perhaps if you pledge your undying love to donuts,
coffee and all things Dunkin’, you can be the lucky holder of a DD Black Card.
If anything, it’ll be a great conversation starter at dinner parties.
Iffy Kitchen Hygiene Standards** Remember Hannah who hated her job at Dunkin’?
You know, the girl from TikTok?
Well, Hannah took us on a tour of different parts of the Dunkin’ kitchen, and let’s
just say when she got to the creamer, things weren’t looking so good (at all).
In fact, Hannah refers to the creamer tank as “nasty” and well, we tend to agree
with her.
She let us in on the conditions behind the scenes, and well…
Gah!
The grime-filled creamer now lives in our minds rent-free.
No fast-food chain wants for their employees to give customers a glimpse behind the scenes,
no matter how clean or dirty, but Hannah’s tour of the preparation area at Dunkin’
is just disappointing.
You know…like when your parents say, “we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed."
That hurts even more than if they were mad!
Yeah, that’s pretty much how everyone felt after watching the video.
And, again, who can forget the creamer!
(Gah!)
Ooooh, in the iconic words of Janet Jackson, “nasty.”
Every Menu Item is Customizable To Your Liking
Most often when you enter a restaurant and try to customize your food you are met with
blank stares and the overwhelming internal concern that the staff is going to spit in
your food at the first opportunity.
But at Dunkin’, every menu item is customizable!
You can choose from a selection of bread, sandwich additions, Flavor Swirls or even
Flavor Shots.
For bread choices, you have a croissant, bagel or an English muffin to choose from (all prime
selections).
Next, you can choose from sandwich additions such as eggs, bacon or cheese.
And then there’s the pre-sweetened Flavor Swirls or the unsweetened (and sugar-free)
Flavor Shots.
(Oh the choices you can make!)
Normally, at a fast-food restaurant you would expect to receive your order exactly as it
is described on the menu, but alas, you can technically personalize your order at Dunkin’
without worrying about the usual eye-roll from the staff.
Hey, if it's policy to customize, then we want the breakfast egg sandwich on a croissant
(hold the bacon, cheese and attitude please!).
Dunkin’ was not always American owned
America may run on Dunkin’ now, but that doesn’t mean that Dunkin’ was always run
by Americans.
The company’s catchy slogan “America Runs on Dunkin’” has a lot of truth to it.
Not only are the outlets popular, but Dunkin’ is the United States’ number one choice
when it comes to coffee bought at grocery store to be brewed at home.
Americans really do love Dunkin’!
But, while Dunkin’ is deeply entrenched into the American identity, it was not always
American-owned.
Dunkin’ was originally founded by William Rosenberg under the name Open Kettle Doughnut
Shop in 1948.
After observing his patrons dunking their donuts in their coffee he changed the name
to Dunkin’ Donuts.
Then, in 1989, there was a brief period where British food and spirits conglomerate Allied-Lyons
bought Dunkin’ Donuts for an impressive $325 million dollars.
(That’s a lot of donuts!)
After Allied-Lyons’ purchase of Dunkin’, French beverage company Pernod Ricard acquired
Allied in 2005 and sold Dunkin’ to 3 American private equity firms.
So now that Dunkin’ ownership is back in American hands, it gives a little bit of extra
meaning to the motto.
“America Runs on Dunkin’,” because Dunkin’ is truly American in every sense, once again.
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