Here is some fantastic news. We all know how good it is to give blood, but now there is incentive beyond helping your common man. Give a pint of blood and get a pound of Dunkin Donuts Coffee.
To celebrate National Blood Donor Month and help increase awareness about the need for blood, Dunkin’ Donuts and the American Red Cross are teaming up for the annual “Give a Pint, Get a Pound” campaign, which provides a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee* to all presenting blood donors at Red Cross blood drives in Connecticut during the month of January. In addition, Connecticut Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants are hosting blood drives throughout the month of January to collect blood for patients in need.
By offering all presenting donors a coupon for a free pound of coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts and the Red Cross are thanking donors who support Connecticut’s blood supply by rolling up their sleeves to give the gift of life. Patients in Connecticut hospitals need blood every day and one donation of blood may help save three lives. Because winter is often a challenging time for blood collections due to severe weather and flu season, the “Give a Pint, Get a Pound” campaign helps boost blood collections when patients need it most. The “Give a Pint, Get a Pound” campaign achieved great success last year, helping the Red Cross exceed blood collection goals. Over the past two years, Dunkin’ Donuts has donated more than 100,000 pounds of coffee to the Red Cross.
Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be the best year yet.
While I spend a lot of time at Starbucks each day working – my Uloop office is a comfy chair next to the fireplace at Starbucks, I would not touch Starbucks coffee with a ten foot pole. I saw a commercial today during a Bowl game that talked about Dunkin Donuts coffee being voted better than Starbucks coffee in a head-to-head taste test.
Here is a DD site with the results.
Today is a nice day off work for me and the kids. So while my wife was still sleeping and the kids watching cartoons I sneaked out to grab some Dunkin Donuts for the family. As I was sitting in the drive thru I got to thinking about why I choose to go to the same location over and over when there are so many Dunkin Donuts locations around me.
Here is a link to my favorite store. What is your favorite DD store?
As a pastor in a church that’s firmly committed to the truth of God’s Word, I feel slightly heretical even suggesting there’s a “problem” with God. But it’s true.
To be honest, over the course of my brief 38 years on earth, I’ve encountered almost as many reasons for being confused or frustrated by God as I have reasons for being drawn to Him. And I have a sneaking suspicion that you may have too.
There have been plenty of nights where I have laid awake, pleading with God to not only lend His ear, but also His hand to push things in one particular direction or another. If God is all-knowing and all powerful, then, c’mon! Slightly altering the weather, changing a circumstance, mending a marriage, or even turning a person’s heart doesn’t seem too large
a task, does it?
Yet seemingly, without explanation or predictability, God moves. His response (or lack thereof) can be hard to understand. There are some moments that seem almost too good to be true … a diagnosis reversed! And others that are devastating beyond words — a relationship broken beyond repair. Which leaves me scratching my head.
As I walk to the Liquid office on Church Street, I’m puzzled by the dichotomy of what I see. On one side of the street, there are executives trying to find the best restaurant for their pharma meeting. On the other side, familiar street people struggle to scrounge change for a cup of hot coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. And that is the problem with God.
Why does that seem to be okay with Him? Even though I am a “”pastor” by profession, I often struggle with God’s seeming “unfair” response to everyday needs. Why does God intercede in some situations that seem trivial in comparison to epic problems where He remains silent? It’s that age-old question: why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Even more vexing: why does God allow good things to happen to nasty people?
For a fresh perspective, I’m drawn to the New Testament story Jesus told regarding an employer who pays identical wages to all of his workers (Matthew 20:1-16). The ones who worked a full day received a full day’s wage. But at story’s end, the laggards who showed up at the last minute received the same wage.
by Mike Leahy
Canton, MA (May 28, 2009) – Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, is marking National Donut Day with a sweet nationwide offer to help Americans celebrate the joy and fun of donuts. On June 5, 2009, participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the country will give every customer a free donut of their choice, with the purchase of any beverage, limit one per customer.
Also on National Donut Day, Dunkin’ Donuts will announce the winner of its first-ever “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest. From nearly 130,000 donut contest creations submitted online, one of 12 finalists will win a $12,000 grand prize and have their winning donuts sold in Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the country. Americans can vote for their favorite finalist online at www.dunkindonuts.com/donut.
National Donut Day, held the first Friday of June each year, was started by the Chicago Salvation Army more than 70 years ago. According to Dunkin’ Donuts’ Brand Marketing Officer Frances Allen, the day holds particular relevance in 2009. “From office meetings to Sunday get-togethers, donuts are one of those foods that lift people’s spirits and bring genuine delight to any situation. And now more than ever, Americans are seeking those small moments of happiness,” she said. “We hope our free donut offer will create an opportunity for people to celebrate donuts and bring some extra happiness to their day.”
Dunkin’ Donuts has led the donut category for nearly 60 years, selling 2.5 million donuts and Munchkin™ donut hole treats every day.
About Dunkin’ Donuts
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running. The company has more than 8,800 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts’ global system-wide sales were $5.5 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
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Contact:
Jessica Rosen
RF|Binder
212-994-7522
jessica.rosen@rfbinder.com
Andrew Mastrangelo
Manager, Public Relations
781-737-5200
andrew.mastrangelo@dunkinbrands.com
Dunkin’ Donuts, the Canton-based chain of coffee-and-baked-goods cafes, announced the 12 finalists who will compete for the chance to win a $12,000 grand prize and have their winning donut sold in participating Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the country.
Among those making the finals in the “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest was Caitlyn Vandervelde of Coventry, R.I., whose creation is called Grandma’s Blueberry Maple Donut. Vandervelde’s entry is described as a blueberry cake donut with maple icing topped with graham cracker crunch.
Another entry perhaps alludes to the culinary tastes of the late pop crooner Elvis Presley. “The King,” submitted by James Smith of Mount Vernon, N.Y. is a Bananas Foster-filled donut with peanut butter icing and chopped peanuts, the Dunkin’ Donuts press release said.
To learn more about this donut lineup – or to cast a vote for a favorite – please click here.
Each finalist wins $1,200 and will travel to Dunkin’ Donuts’ University in Braintree, where Ph.D’s in the field toil at the chain’s culinary skunkworks as they seek to pioneer new frontiers in breakfast science and hand-held cuisine.
“The winning donut will be selected based on the outcome of the bake-off and America’s online public voting,” Dunkin’ Donuts said in its press release. “The grand prize winner of the ‘Create Dunkin’s Next Donut’ contest will be unveiled on National Donut Day.”
As sinker buffs know, National Donut Day falls on June 5. The photo that tops this post was provided by the company.
The Wars of the coffee have begun. McDonald began a national advertising campaign Tuesday to promote its program of McCafe, expecting that its Capuchins and lattes will draw clients of Starbucks and Dunkin’ Doughnuts. Starbucks defends itself with deals in coffees ice creams. And Dunkin’ Doughnuts have cut the prices of latte in some cities. But whose coffee is better? To ascertain, we ask three coffee-drinking to inhabitants of Chicago to unite us in a flavor-tests blind Tuesday of Capuchins of the McDonald, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Doughnuts. We order a large one, Capuchin of whole milk, no seasoning, of each. McDonald was, by distant, the fastest one with our order — and, in $3.19 for 22 ounces, also the cheapest one. (A Capuchin of 20 ounces in Starbucks is $3.65, and an of 20 ounces one in Dunkin’ Doughnuts are $3.49.) But a beverage hasty fact of espresso does not signify necessarily a good one one. A flavor of it countersinks, by the motive that be, dominated the Capuchin of the McDonald, our gustadores said. Still, a gustador preferred it to the other. In general terms, although, our sampling extremely little scientist put Starbucks to the head of the pile of coffee. Here he is what the flavor-changing rooms thought: Angela Israel, 40, the business of insurance, the southern Coast The beverages two to four cups daily. It does in its greater part Folgers at home. McDonald: “This is super-sweet. I do not want too much candy”. Starbucks: “A little bitter but I they want it. Has a kick. But, it would do a splash of flavor with this, to remove just the bitter edge”. Dunkin’ Doughnuts: “A little weak. Just milk. The milk overwhelms the coffee”. Its choice: Starbucks. Michael Szajna, 27, graphic artist independent/barista (in a store of tea, not a café), View of Lake The beverages two lattes daily. It prefers coffee of Intelligentsia. McDonald: “It flavored finally. It countersinks. As a latte flavored”. Starbucks: “Test finally as a Capuchin. Good and strong. What do I expect of the espresso”. Dunkin’ Doughnuts: “Not good in all. The flavor as coffee with milk in it”. Its choice: Starbucks. Jose Blacksmith, 45, the conductor, Western Park of Humboldt Drinks some cups daily. It prefers Dunkin’ coffee of Doughnuts. McDonald: “Ahhhh, French vanilla. Or it countersinks it. This is good. Not too strong. I do not want too strong”. Dunkin’ Doughnuts: “Pretty good. Oh”. Starbucks: “Ugh. I will give this. Too strong. No flavor, no flavor to”. Its choice: McDonald. Janet Rausa Fuller McDonald: “The dulzor extends for. It pushed accidentally someone the wrong button”? Dunkin’ Doughnuts: “Pale, milky, it diluted. No discernible flavor of the coffee”. Starbucks: “Pleasant, still flavor of espresso. Do not strike the socks of but very drinkable”.
CANTON, MA (April 14, 2009) — Hotel guests no longer need to have any reservations about where to get a great cup of coffee or delicious breakfast sandwich. Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all day, every day stop for coffee and baked goods, has entered the lodging market with the opening of the brand’s first hotel restaurant location at the Great Wolf Lodge® in Concord, North Carolina, one of North America’s largest indoor water park resorts.
Dunkin’ Donuts is offering a variety of store models to suit any lodging property, including full retail shops, kiosks and self-serve hot coffee stations perfect for gift shops and general stores. Models can be designed to suit specific areas such as snack bars and convention registration areas. Dunkin’ Donuts’ bakery products can be prepared in the property’s own kitchen, with the addition of some simple equipment, allowing the food and beverage team flexibility to manage product inventory in accordance with guest traffic.
Chris Burr, Dunkin’ Donuts Director of Alternate Points of Distribution and a 20-year veteran of the lodging industry, will lead the development efforts. Dunkin’ Donuts will focus initially on larger airport hotels, resorts and vacation ownership locations throughout the East, Midwest and Southwest portions of the country.
The new Dunkin’ Donuts at Great Wolf Lodge, accessible to guests from the resort’s lobby, will serve Dunkin’ Donuts’ full menu of delicious foods and beverages that can be enjoyed all throughout the day, including:
A full range of hot and cold coffee and espresso beverages
Oven Toasted breakfast sandwiches
Baked goods, including a variety of freshly made donuts, muffins, danish, and croissants.
Foods and beverages from Dunkin’s DDSMART menu of better-for-you items, including two varieties of egg white flatbread sandwiches
According to Kevin Houser, Dunkin’ Donuts’ Vice President of Development, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering Great Wolf Lodge and other lodging properties the opportunity to offer a valuable amenity that greatly enhances the quality of their guests’ experience. “Millions of Americans rely on our world-famous coffee to keep themselves running. By adding Dunkin’ Donuts, hotels and resorts not only provide an improved alternative to the usual retail coffee concepts currently offered in lodging properties, they allow travelers to continue to enjoy an important part of their daily lives even when they are away from home,” he said.
“We are thrilled to announce our Dunkin’ Donuts partnership with the debut of our newest Great Wolf Lodge,” said Marion Edwards, Corporate Director, Food & Beverage Experience and Concept Division of Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.®. “The indulgent aroma of freshly baked donuts and bagels straight from the oven coincides with our mission to serve our guests with a sensory food experience.” Edwards added that parents can rest assured they won’t have to break their coffee routine while on vacation at Great Wolf Lodge.
The launch into the lodging market coincides with Dunkin’ Donuts’ worldwide expansion program. The company is steadily and strategically expanding in existing cities while entering new markets throughout the country, including Phoenix, Minneapolis and St. Louis. Dunkin’ Donuts also opened its first store in mainland China, in Shanghai in January. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts launched the brand’s first-ever theme park restaurant at Hershey Park, new coffee kiosks at sporting venues such as Fenway Park and the TD Banknorth (Boston) Garden, and new stores at airports including Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City.
Dunkin’ Donuts has set the standard for offering a superior grade of coffee, and the company sells more than one billion cups of hot and iced coffee every year. In 2008, an independent taste test showed that Americans preferred Dunkin’ Donuts coffee over Starbucks. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running.
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About Dunkin’ Donuts
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running. The company has more than 8,800 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts’ global system-wide sales were $5.5 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® and Blue Harbor Resort™ brands. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; Concord, N.C.; and Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sheboygan, Wis.
The company’s resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 – 600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 – 100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children’s activities and other amenities. Additional information may be found on the company’s Web site at www.greatwolf.com.
Contact:
Andrew Mastrangelo
Manager, Public Relations
Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.
Phone: 781-737-5200
andrew.mastrangelo@dunkinbrands.com
Small Iced Coffees to be sold for 50 cents on April 21; Portion of the proceeds to benefit Homes for Our Troops
Company launches effort to recruit one million new volunteers for Homes for Our Troops
CANTON, Mass. (April 2, 2009) — Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all day, every day stop for coffee and baked goods, wants Americans to kick off spring with a refreshing cup of Iced Coffee that will help make a difference for our injured veterans in need. The price for a small (16 oz) cup of Iced Coffee will be reduced to 50 cents at participating Dunkin’ Donuts shops throughout the country during Dunkin’s all-day “Iced Coffee Day” event on April 21. For every small Iced Coffee purchased on this day, Dunkin’ Donuts will donate five cents to benefit Homes for Our Troops, a national, non-profit organization that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans.
“Dunkin’ Donuts admires and respects the commitment of veterans who have given selflessly to their country and we are proud to play an active role in helping them rebuild their lives,” said Steve Caldeira, Chief Global Communications & Public Affairs Officer for Dunkin’ Brands. “We hope our involvement will inspire our customers to sign up to become Homes for Our Troops volunteers and join our effort to help these brave men and women live the rest of their lives to the fullest.”
Dunkin’ Donuts began its partnership with Homes for Our Troops in December 2008 when the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation, which is dedicated to serving those who serve others – especially in times of crisis – donated $100,000 to the organization to support ten “Build Brigades.” A “Build Brigade” is a three-day construction blitz to get a house framed, install doors, windows, roof and siding. Professional trades people and volunteers will participate in more than 30 “Build Brigades” throughout the country in 2009.
Today, Dunkin’ Donuts is also launching a nationwide call to recruit one million new volunteers to support Homes for Our Troops’ efforts and our nation’s courageous servicemen and women. Volunteer opportunities include donating services for a local “Build Brigade” to help construct a home for a veteran in need, donating materials, equipment or land for new homes, joining a street team to help build awareness, hosting a virtual fundraiser, or making a monetary donation. The first 200 people to sign up as volunteers today at www.dunkindonuts.com/icedcoffeeday will receive free Dunkin’ Donuts coffee for one month.
“Dunkin’ Donuts continues to demonstrate its dedication to supporting military families and soldiers serving overseas,” said John Gonsalves, President & Founder of Homes for Our Troops. “Through its ongoing support, we are able to provide severely injured veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and sacrificed so much for their country with specially adapted homes that enable them to regain independence that was lost as a result of their injuries.”
For more information, please visit www.dunkindonuts.com/icedcoffeeday.
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About Dunkin’ Donuts
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for three years running. The company has more than 8,800 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2008, Dunkin’ Donuts’ global system-wide sales were $5.5 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
About The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation
The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, crew members and employees, to support the service and leadership of emergency response organizations – especially in times of crisis. The Foundation supports emergency responders by providing financial assistance, building capacity, developing partnerships, encouraging volunteerism and honoring local heroes. To learn more about the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation, please visit www.dunkinbrands.com/foundation.
About Homes for Our Troops
Founded on February 4, 2004, Homes for Our Troops is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) non-partisan, non-profit organization building specially adapted homes for disabled veterans of war. The organization is strongly committed to assisting disabled and seriously injured veterans and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and enlisting the help of professional contractors to volunteer on the homes built for our American Heroes who have given up so much to defend America.
Homes for Our Troops is proud to be rated in the top five Veterans & Military charities by the American Institute of Philanthropy and is a member of the US Green Building Council. For more information, visit www.homesforourtroops.org.
Contact:
Eva Pereira
781-559-0424
Eva.Pereira@rfbinder.com
The food fight over the most important meal of the day has never been fiercer. Banking on breakfast being big business, fast-food chains are introducing new breakfast items and value meals in a hungry attempt to compete for cost-conscious consumers.
“There’s a breakfast war going on,” says Denny’s CEO Nelson Marchioli. “You can get a real breakfast with us, or spend the same and eat out of a wrapper.” Stephen J. Caldeira, chief global communications and public affairs officer for Dunkin’ Donuts, has a different view. “Our customers know they can come to us any time of day for the best-tasting coffee in America.”