Franchise Directory

Doughnuts and ice cream make sweet bedfellows at Dunkin' Brands. The company is a multi-concept foodservice franchisor, with more than 13,000 locations in 50 countries, including its popular Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins chains. With more than 7,000 shops in 30 countries (4,400 of which are in North America), Dunkin' Donuts is the world's leading chain of donut shops. Baskin-Robbins is a leading seller of ice cream and frozen snacks with its nearly 6,000 outlets (about half are located in the US). About 1,100 locations offer a combination of the company's brands. Dunkin' Brands is owned by a group of private investment firms.

This longtime franchisor (#9 in longevity) boasts high brand awareness (#10). Brandweek named Dunkin’ Donuts 2009 Marketer of the Year, and for the third year in a row, it ranked first in customer loyalty in the coffee category in the “Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index.”

Dunkin’ has been battling Starbucks and McDonald’s for dominance in the coffee business; in 2009, coffee accounted for more than 60 percent of its business.

In 2009 Dunkin’ Donuts faced legal woes amid accusations of spying on its franchisees. In October, several top executives left the company. CEO Nigel Travis, formerly of Papa John’s, has brought in retail industry veterans to make Dunkin’ more responsive to consumer trends and competition.

Despite challenges, Dunkin’ reports positive growth (#19 in the growth category) and is expanding into China.

Last Year's AllStar Rank: 2