please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . may 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . october 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message dunkin donuts the original dunkin donuts in quincy massachusetts after its renovation in the 2000s type subsidiary of dunkin brands industry food and beverage founded quincy massachusetts united states 1950 ; 66 years ago 1950 founder william rosenberg headquarters 130 arch street canton massachusetts united states number of locations 11 000 shops area served worldwide key people robin roberts chairman and ceo marvin l. gittelman cfo products baked goods hot beverages iced beverages frozen beverages sandwiches soft drinks revenue us 10.1 billion 1 2015 parent dunkin brands website dunkindonuts.com dunkin donuts is an american global donut company and coffeehouse chain based in canton massachusetts in greater boston . it was founded in 1950 by william rosenberg in quincy massachusetts . 2 since its founding the company has grown to become one of the largest coffee and baked goods chains in the world with more than 12 000 restaurants in 36 countries . 3 4 the chain s products include donuts bagels other baked goods and a wide variety of hot and iced beverages . 5 6 before 1990 dunkin donuts primary competitor was mister donut but in february of that year mister donut was acquired by dunkin donuts owner allied lyons . 7 after the acquisition of mister donut by allied lyons all mister donut stores in north america were offered the chance to change their name to dunkin donuts . 7 as of 2014 update dunkin donuts is owned by dunkin brands inc. which also owns baskin robbins and previously owned the togo s chain . contents 1 history 1.1 founding and establishment 1.2 1990s 1.3 2000s 1.4 2010s 2 products 3 advertising 3.1 logo 3.2 slogans 3.3 commercials 3.4 promotions 3.5 affiliations 4 controversy and criticism 5 locations 5.1 western u.s. expansion 5.2 dunkin coffee in spain 5.3 canadian decline 5.4 japanese decline 5.5 current 5.6 former 5.7 expansion 6 notable endorsers 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit founding and establishment edit a dunkin donuts shop in islamabad pakistan the name has evolved since william rosenberg opened his first restaurant in 1948 as open kettle in quincy massachusetts . the name changed to kettle donuts in 1949 and the now corporate name dunkin donuts was adopted in 1950 . 8 rosenberg conceived of the idea for the chain after his experiences selling food in factories and at construction sites where donuts and coffee were the two most popular items . 3 rosenberg sold franchises of dunkin donuts to others as early as 1955 . in 1959 the company began growing which led rosenberg to lobby for dunkin donuts at the international franchise association . in 1963 rosenberg s son robert assumed leadership of the company at the age of 25 shortly after graduating from harvard business school . robert stewarded the company for the next 35 years . during that period he and a management team of existing executives franchise owners and a few college friends began to change the business in fundamental ways . in 1963 dunkin donuts opened its 100th location but the brand was not yet the household name that it is today . the company was known as universal food systems a portfolio of 10 small food service businesses including a vending machine company industrial catering trucks a cafeteria division a delicatessen a few pancake houses a 15 cent hamburger chain called howdy beef n burger and most importantly a number of dunkin donuts shops . however at the time each dunkin donuts location varied greatly . some locations had 18 stools while others were much larger seating up to 100 customers . the menu varied greatly as well . some shops served a wide variety of offerings including eggs pancakes hamburgers and hot dogs while others had a more limited menu offering just donuts and coffee . over the course of the next 35 years this team focused all the energy behind the dunkin donuts business and sold or closed the other 9 businesses changing the name of the company from universal food systems to dunkin donuts by 1968 . standardized the menu and the shop format while focusing the new store development in specific markets to better advertise and supervise . began a new products program starting with the introduction in 1964 of a 10 ounce cup of coffee called jumbo java and over the years added munchkins donut hole treats muffins cookies bagels croissants and coolatta . in 1968 dunkin donuts went public when the company sold stock to the public for the first time . in the 1970s created a unique buying program which saved franchisees up to 2 3 % of sales which the franchisees then invested in a national advertising program which achieved national attention for the brand . in the 1980s they changed the delivery service system by moving away from a 20 stool question mark counter and coffee sold in porcelain cups to a self service system and beverages sold in paper cups . they also changed the concept by expanding beyond the four walls of the shop to bring products through satellite locations to customers wherever they worked shopped traveled or played . they introduced territorial areas for franchise owners to open multiple locations and support small bakery commissaries rather than produce product in each individual store . in 1990 navigated through a hostile takeover attempt by knightsbridge capital a canadian financial group to find a friendly buyer in the united kingdom allied lyons a spirits and food company . among its holdings allied had owned baskin robbins in the united states since the 1970s . under allied dunkin donuts and baskin merged operations . in 1995 the brand was revitalized by shifting the focus from donuts to coffee . 1990s edit robert retired in july 1998 . in the intervening 35 years the dunkin donuts brand had grown from 100 stores and 10 million in system wide sales to 2 500 locations worldwide and over 2 billion in sales . william rosenberg the founder had retired from the company in the mid 1980s and died on september 20 2002 from bladder cancer at the age of 86 in mashpee massachusetts . 3 2000s edit in 2004 the company s headquarters were relocated to canton . 9 the following year four time james beard foundation award nominee stan frankenthaler was appointed the company s debut executive chef director of culinary development . 10 in 2006 dunkin donuts began using the slogan america runs on dunkin which continues to be used in many advertisement campaigns . 11 in 2008 dunkin donuts opened its first green restaurant in st. petersburg florida that is leadership in energy and environmental design leed certified . the location program includes worm composting to repurpose such wastes as coffee grounds and paper products into fertilizer for local farms and gardens water efficient plumbing fixtures and the use of well water rather than potable water for all landscape irrigation . 12 on december 10 2008 nigel travis was appointed chief executive officer of dunkin brands . he also assumed the role of dunkin donuts president at the end of 2009 . 2010s edit in 2010 dunkin donuts global system wide sales were 6 billion . 13 in 2011 dunkin donuts ranked first for customer loyalty in the coffee category by brand keys for five continuous years . 14 in april 2012 dunkin donuts switched its beverage provider from pepsico to the coca cola company since rivals increasingly served pepsico products in the united states ; however pepsico s gatorade remained on the menu . canadian restaurants did not switch . in 2012 dunkin donuts launched an application for payment and gifting for iphone ipod touch and android smartphones . 15 in may 2013 nigel travis assumed the role of chairman of the board and paul twohig was appointed to president dunkin donuts u.s. & canada . 16 dunkin brands was bought when by french beverage company pernod ricard s.a. from allied domecq under the corporate name of allied domecq quick service restaurants . pernod ricard agreed in december 2005 to sell dunkin brands to a consortium of three private equity firms bain capital partners the carlyle group and thomas h. lee partners . on october 1 2015 dunkin brands announced that 100 dunkin donuts locations would close . while some analysts showed concern that the company may have expanded too fast all of the affected locations were owned by speedway llc which were acquired through its acquisition of hess corporation s retail operations . the company said it still plans on opening new locations elsewhere including california . 17 in july 2016 dunkin announced their latest attempt to establishing a foothold in the chinese market with a 1 400 store expansion over the next 20 years . the new locations will be part of a franchise agreement with jollibee foods corporation and jasmine asset holding . the new shops will offer savory pastries and have a cafe atmosphere . 18 products edit a display of donuts at a dunkin donuts franchise dunkin donuts has several varieties of donuts . 5 6 other bakery goods and sandwiches include bagels cookies muffins donut holes under the brand name munchkins oven toasted sandwiches under the brand name big n toasted and a glazed donut breakfast sandwich . however only 8 % of the chain s sales are donuts ; 65 % are drinks and 27 % are other food items . 19 hot drinks include coffee tea and hot chocolate ; cold drinks include iced tea and coolatta which is an iced drink served since 1997 flavoured either with coffee and cream or as a slush made with fruit juice . 20 21 since october 18 2007 dunkin donuts locations in the united states have reduced trans fats from their menu items by switching to a blend of oils palm soybean and cottonseed . 22 international locations are expected to adopt the change over time . 23 the ddsmart menu features items that are reduced no less than 25 percent of any one of the following calories fat saturated fat sugar or sodium . 24 as of may 2015 the dunkin donuts website claimed there are countless steps involved in producing coffee . 25 advertising edit logo edit a script version of the words dunkin donuts was filed on march 31 1955 and registered on february 2 1960 . it was subsequently cancelled because of section 8 . clarification needed it was later reinstated as a trademark upon section 8 was accepted on july 3 2001 . the stylized word mark is owned by dd ip holder llc . 26 a later logo dunkin donuts registered with the united states patent and trademark office was for a drawing and word logo depicting what can be described as a donut man a figure with a donut for a head and a coffee cup and donut body wearing a garrison cap with dunkin emblazoned on both the coffee cup and cap . the design was rendered primarily in yellow and brown . according to the trademark office tess data base the logo was first applied for on june 23 1958 and was registered on may 23 1961 and put into use on july 1 1964 . 27