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Dunkin’ Donuts Opening 15 Restaurants In Hawaii, Testing Curbside Delivery

By Ny MaGee
Published on: 11:46 PST, May 2, 2016

Dunkin’ Donuts announced on Monday plans to open its first stores in Hawaii. The Canton-based doughnut and coffee chain, which is owned by Dunkin’ Brands Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN), has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchise group, Aloha Petroleum, Ltd, Biz Journals reports. Under the agreement, “Aloha Petroleum will develop 15 new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai,” with the first shop set to open in 2017.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to launch the Dunkin’ Donuts brand in Hawaii, and look forward to opening our first location early next year,” said Richard Parry, president and CEO of Aloha Petroleum in a statement. “This new business venture will complement our existing retail offerings throughout the islands and help us diversify our portfolio.”

Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg, and since then, the company has grown to become one of the largest coffee chains in the world, with more than 11,300 restaurants operating globally. The chain’s products include doughnuts, bagels, other baked goods, and a variety of hot and iced beverages. Its No. 1 rival is Krispy Kreme donuts. Between the two, Dunkin’ remains “the clear leader in retail distribution of its branded foods,” with its savory coffee available at most supermarkets and retail chains.

Before 1990, Dunkin’ Donuts’ primary competitor was Mister Donut, but in February of that year, the company was acquired by Dunkin’ Donuts’ owner Allied-Lyons, which offered Mister Donut the chance to change their name to reflect the primary brand. As of last December, Dunkin’ had restaurants in 41 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and in 42 foreign countries.

The coffeehouse offers varieties of donuts and other baked goods, including bagels, cookies, muffins, sandwiches and breakfast items, such as the glazed donut breakfast sandwich. Surprisingly, only “8% of the chain’s sales are donuts; 65% are drinks, and 27% are other food items.”

Investopedia reports that longtime Dunkin’ Donuts President Paul Twohig intends to retire in 2017. Twohig has held the job since 2013, and his capacity calls for him to oversee operations of North American stores as well as global franchising. The company said in a press release that he will stay in the position until a replacement can be found.

“Since joining the Company in 2009, Paul has been a major contributor to Dunkin’ Brands’ success,” said CEO Nigel Travis in the release. “… During Paul’s tenure, we have increased our domestic Dunkin’ Donuts store count by more than 30%, adding more than 2,000 net new restaurants across the country.”

Dunkin’ Donuts is about to make it easier to get your sugar and caffeine fix by allowing customers to bypass waiting in line and placing your orders directly on your smartphone instead.

CNN Money reports that the chain is expanding mobile on-the-go ordering and also has plans to test curbside delivery later this year. The service will launch in New York City, where customers will be able to place their orders on the newly-updated Dunkin’ Donuts app and then going directly to the pick-up area in stores. Dunkin’ started testing mobile ordering last year in Portland, Maine, and then in Boston in March. Orders can be made up to 24 hours in advance, and customers can save their orders to make re-ordering that much easier.

“[Mobile ordering] is one of the most game-changing initiatives in our history,” said CEO Nigel Travis.

Dunkin’ Donuts on-the-go ordering will be available in more than “1,650 stores in the New York metro area” beginning mid-May. The service will launch nationwide later this year, as will plans to test curbside delivery.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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