Dunkin’ Donuts Gears Up For Spring With New Choices, High-Tech Menus

Although there has been a lot of attention given to the breakfast menu that’s now available at Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts has also been making its own improvements by offering seasonal items and using digital menu boards to offer innovative signage in some stores.

Many people see the springtime as an excellent opportunity to clean their homes, plant gardens and maybe even start a workout regimen to prepare for time spent at the beach in a bathing suit. As you’ll soon see, Dunkin’ Donuts is taking a similar approach. Company representatives have decided the spring represents an ideal time to tempt customers with fresh selections and high-tech menu boards that display those new options, along with old favorites.

The Easter season is characterized by many sugary treats, but Peeps are among the standout candies. Made from gooey marshmallows, they’re topped with a sweet coating and shaped like adorable chicks. Dunkin’ Donuts recently capitalized on the popular candy by announcing a new variety of donuts that feature Peeps on top.

The treats are shaped like flowers and decorated with lively pastel hues that could bring a smile to the face of even the most characteristically grumpy non-morning person. They’re also great for anyone who’s looking for a creative way to fill an Easter basket or bring springtime goodies to a school classroom.

By offering them, Dunkin’ Donuts has showed attentiveness to the interests of a target audience. If the donuts chain ends up offering them seasonally, that move could inspire a sense of nostalgia, much like how Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes repeatedly cause fans to flock to stores each autumn.

Besides the Peeps donuts, Dunkin also began offering new iced coffee flavors. Customers can now treat themselves to caffeinated beverages that taste like cookie dough and almond fudge. Butter pecan will be available too, as it proved to be successful at Dunkin’ Donuts locations during previous years.

In addition to the food and beverage choices, Dunkin’ Donuts has unveiled an innovative menu board that uses digital technology. The transition started two years ago with an 100-store pilot program, and is still in progress. The digital menus will be mandatory for any brand-new Dunkin’ Donuts stores, and those that are getting remodeled.

However, the chain is also experimenting an incentive program that would convince franchisees to switch over to the new menus. If all goes well, there will be about 3,000 of them installed in stores around the country by the end of this year.

Together, the seasonal food and drink options plus new menus could create the impression that Dunkin’ Donuts is a heavy-hitting player in the game of luring customers who’re looking for enticing ways to start a day.

[Photo Credit: KRMG]