[12][13] He conceived the idea for the restaurant after his experiences selling food in factories and at construction sites, where doughnuts and coffee were the two most popular items.

[15] It was during this time that Johnny Spartos, one of the men running the original Quincy location, convinced Rosenberg to produce a donut with a handle specifically for dunking into a cup of coffee.

[16] In 1963 Rosenberg's son Bob became CEO of the company at age 25, and Dunkin' Donuts opened its hundredth location that year.

In the following years, the other businesses in the Universal Food Systems portfolio were sold or closed, and the company was renamed to Dunkin' Donuts.

[27][28] In January 2018, Dunkin' Donuts began to open new concept locations, beginning in Quincy, featuring modern decor, cold beverages on tap and a single-cup brewing machine, more packaged take-out options, and dedicated pick-up lines for mobile ordering inside and in the drive-thru.

He is looking to add 1,000 new locations outside of the Northeastern United States by the end of 2020 and to have a revenue increase of 3 percent for stores open a year or longer.

[37][38] Later in July 2019, Dunkin' partnered with Beyond Meat to introduce a meatless breakfast sandwich in Manhattan, becoming the first U.S. restaurant brand to serve Beyond Sausage.

was created by Hill Holliday to "poke fun at pretentious Starbucks-style coffee chains, with patrons attempting to order hard-to-pronounce lattes.

[52] In 2017, the company announced that it would begin testing the name of simply "Dunkin'" at some retail locations, as they would like to be thought of as a destination for coffee, its most profitable product.

The chain then announced it would add Affleck's specific order, an iced coffee with creame, sweet cold foam, and cinnamon sugar, via its limited-time DunKings Menu.

The company acknowledged that "Dunkin'" was already a common shorthand name for the chain among customers and in its marketing (including the slogan "America Runs on Dunkin'"), and that the rebranding would reflect the chain's continuing shift towards being a "beverage-led" brand at a time when consumers have shown a preference for healthier trends and options as they consume fewer doughnuts.

[65] Dunkin' has a close relationship with the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, making commercials at the start of each team's season for promotions.

[69][70] In July 2013, Dunkin' Donuts announced that it has signed its first Southern California multi-unit store development agreements with four franchise groups for a total commitment of 45 new restaurants.

[74][75][76] 2014 saw the return of Dunkin' Donuts to the state of Minnesota after nearly a decade's absence, with a new shop opened inside the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester.

[81][43] As of 2019, 40 Dunkin' Donuts shops in the United States were certified fully kosher, in addition to one that sells both kosher-certified and non-kosher products.

[89] In January 2014, Dunkin' Donuts relaunched in England 20 years after it exited the country with its store opening in Harrow, London.

On December 5, 2014, Dunkin' Donuts opened their first location in the Nordic region, at the Täby Centrum shopping mall in the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden.

[91][92] On July 24, 2018, Dunkin' Donuts announced that the company's Swedish operations had filed for bankruptcy and all locations in Sweden would close immediately.

However, by February 2019, Grand Parade Investments announced that it permanently closed all Dunkin' Brands locations in South Africa due to poor performance and unprofitably.

On February 24, 2011, Dunkin' Donuts signed a master franchise agreement with Indian food service company Jubilant FoodWorks to operate the brand in India.

A group of Dunkin' Donuts franchisees won a C$16.4 million civil court judgement against the parent company for failing to adequately promote the brand in Canada.

In September 2018, after 57 years of operating in Canada,[106] Dunkin' Donuts ceased business in that country when it refused to renew its franchise license to the few remaining stores left.

All remaining Canadian locations were closed or rebranded as independent businesses in late 2018 – ending the presence of Dunkin' Donuts in the country.

[109] After 28 years of operating in Japan, Dunkin' Donuts ceased business there in 1998 due to declining sales and poor performance.

The site appeared ahead of the company's own website in many search engines and received national media coverage before being purchased by Dunkin' Donuts in 1999.

[135] Dunkin' Donuts was criticized by one of its franchisees for allegedly forcing single-store owners to agree to a buyout at a loss for minor infractions.

[136] In May 2010, Dunkin' Donuts was criticized for advertising "Free Iced Coffee Day" on its national Facebook page, which took place in only 13 cities.

[137] Because of the limited scope of the promotion, many customers became dissatisfied with the lack of free iced coffee and vented their anger on the Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page.

[138] In 2013, the Dunkin' Donuts chain in Thailand used an advertisement that contained a photograph of a woman in black face-paint, in order to promote its new chocolate-flavored doughnuts.

[141] In August 2024, a group of Trump supporters called for a boycott of Dunkin' Donuts for declining advertisements from Rumble for promoting right-wing populism.