Dunkin’ Donuts switched its name up on us and now wants to be simply known as just Dunkin’. How many people actually called the company by its full name anyways? On Monday, Dunkin’ announced that it dropped the Donuts from its name. It’s been called that since 1950, when the first Dunkin’ Donuts opened in Quincy, Massachusetts. Now, the company is picking a name that consumers were already using, which makes it even better and Dunkin’ can finally join KFC and NPR through its easy transition into another name.
According to Dunkin’, it desires to be on a first name basis with customers and that the final shift will officially take place in January of 2019. After the transition, the company’s signs, cups and swag will read “Dunkin'” rather than Dunkin’ Donuts. Shares of Dunkin; Brands Group Inc. already climbed since the news came out, making investors quite happy about the name change.
The name change isn’t the real shift for the company, as that comes because it wants to be a coffee competitor with Starbucks. Although it will be battling in many parts of the United States, Starbucks holds the clear advantage worldwide in the coffee industry.
There are 8,500 Dunkin’ stores in 41 states, and another 3,200 in 36 countries. In comparison, Starbucks owns more than 27,000 stores in 75 markets, including about 7,500 in the U.S., and that doesn’t include counters in grocery stores and other places where you can access Starbucks.
However, According to QSR Magazine, the average visit to a Starbucks drive-thru takes 4.44 minutes. By contrast, the speediest coffee drive-thru service belongs to Dunkin’, which handles orders in an average of 2.90 minutes, QSR says.