13 Surprising Things Dunkin’ Donuts Employees Want You to Know
Updated: Apr. 25, 2023
For best results, read with a fresh Boston Kreme Donut and coffee!
They sell a LOT of coffee
On an average day, Dunkin’ Donuts sells about 60 cups of freshly brewed coffee each second. That works out to roughly 2 billion cups of hot and iced coffee sold around the world every year! A cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine. Here are some other surprising sources of caffeine to perk you up.
You can get free donuts
At the bottom of every Dunkin’ Donuts receipt, there’s a link to a short survey. Take a few minutes to fill that out—and you can get a free donut (or whatever product your local Dunkin’ offers). Bonus: The local store gets to hear what they’re doing right!
The coffee is seriously fresh
The hot Original Blend coffee is freshly ground, freshly brewed, and freshly served. If not used within 18 minutes, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is discarded and a new carafe is freshly brewed. Speaking of coffee, find out the reason why coffee bags have holes in them.
Dunkin’ sells billions of donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts sells something like 2.9 billion donuts every year. (That includes the super-snackable Munchkins donut holes.) You probably won’t be able to make more donuts than Dunkin’, but here’s our guide on How to Make Doughnuts at Home.
There are 70+ types of donuts
Over the years, Dunkin’ Donuts has created hundreds of donut flavors. You’ll see more than 70 donuts on the menu today. The franchisees each sell a unique mix of donuts tailored to regional taste buds. Some local picks are the Sour Cream Donut in Chicago and the Peanut Stick in upstate New York. See all the unusual menu items sold at Dunkin’ Donuts.
The original Dunkin’ is still open
The Dunkin’ story began in 1948 with a small donut shop in Quincy, Massachusetts, called “Open Kettle.” Founder William Rosenberg served donuts for five cents and cups of coffee for ten cents. (What a deal!) Rosenberg renamed his popular restaurant “Dunkin’ Donuts” in 1950.
There’s a not-so-secret drink menu
You can always order a custom French Vanilla or Pumpkin Spice Latte. But Dunkin’ Donuts also has a secret menu with funky options like the Cosmic Coolattas! Mocha fans—did you try the Dunkin’ Donuts Mocha Oreo? We gave them a 10/10.
America really does “Run on Dunkin’”
In 2017, Dunkin’ Donuts teamed up with Saucony, another popular Boston-based company, for a unique sneaker collaboration. The special running shoes featured an iconic strawberry-frosted doughnut and rainbow sprinkles. Fans were so excited that the shoe sold out in three days!
There’s an exclusive “Black Card”
The Dunkin’ Donuts Black Card has been around for several years, gifted to select loyal fans and celebs. It’s personalized, comes pre-loaded with $10 (or so we’ve heard) and it looks super cool. It’s a mystery how exactly someone is selected to receive one, but who knows, maybe you’re next…
You can skip the line
With Dunkin’ Donuts’ On-the-Go Mobile Ordering (only available to DD Perks members) you can place an order up to 24 hours in advance. To pick up your morning coffee and Sausage Egg & Cheese, head straight to the counter, grab your breakfast and skip the wait!
There’s a Dunkin’ University
But it’s not open to everyone who loves donuts. Dunkin’ Brands University is the training center where the brand’s managers from around the world train to run a Dunkin’ Donuts. No wonder things go so smoothly in each restaurant!
The coffee is perfect every time
Dunkin’ employees use a special machine to add sugar and cream so your drink tastes just right every time. The machines have five “quantity” buttons: X, S, M, L and XL, representing 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. So when you ask for 2 sugars, they use the S button. Learn the truth about these 8 myths about how coffee affects your health.
Iced coffee is double brewed
There’s a secret behind Dunkin’s delicious iced coffee. They use a double brewing process—in other words, it’s made with twice the amount of coffee so your beverage is never watered down! It’s what gives you that consistent flavor and freshness. Next, check out the 13 things Starbucks employees won’t tell you.
