“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. Get a taste of more great videos - just tap
or click. First time here? Then leave us a comment, hit that subscribe
button and ring that notification bell.
