In a very limited rollout, Dunkin' Donuts is testing new lunch-menu items which it hopes will expand its customer base beyond the traditional breakfast crowd.
Nearly a year after McDonald's began grabbing a piece of the morning coffee market by offering Newman's Own Organics blend, Dunkin' Donuts is striking back by offering foods that go beyond breakfast. A Dunkin' Donuts in Nashua is one of several nationwide that will begin offering hot dogs wrapped in pastry, flatbread sandwiches and other food designed to draw more customers in the afternoon and evening.
"We do about 70% of our business between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.," said John Motta, who owns 10 franchises in the Nashua area, including the store selected for a makeover. "From 11 a.m. to the next morning, you do have customers but there's really not a lot of business."
The new "concept stores" also will spruce up their breakfast and drinks menus and change their look, using new maroon and yellow tones and replacing fixed swivel seats with wooden chairs. Two others are opening in Pawtucket, R.I., and in Euclid, Ohio, and more are planned.
Dunkin' Donuts, under new management since parent Dunkin' Brands was acquired for $2.4 billion last year by three Boston private equity firms, is using the selected stores to test public reaction in different areas of the country, said spokesman Thomas Lee of Regan Communications.
Color me a skeptic. I think that Dunkin' Donuts is successful because of its down-to-earth atmosphere and limited menu beyond drinks. It's difficult to imagine going to Dunkin's Donuts for a hot dog, let alone for dinner. But let's see how this experiment pans out.
Source: AP