Talk:Dunkin' Donuts

Recent history

@Whoisjohngalt: Thanks again for helping above! I am glad to see mention of the new concept locations and CEO transition in 2018, but I've identified a few other updates for the article, all of which are confirmed by multiple reliable sources. Please see the following claims for consideration:

• In February 2018, Dunkin' announced plans to phase out polystyrene foam cups globally for environmental purposes by April 2020.
• In late 2018, Dunkin' installed espresso machines at all possible locations and launched espresso products using a new recipe.
• In June 2019, Dunkin' partnered with Grubhub to begin the rollout of its new Dunkin' Delivers service.
• In July 2019, Dunkin' partnered with Beyond Meat to introduce a meatless breakfast sandwich in Manhattan, becoming the first U.S. restaurant brand to serve Beyond Sausage. The sandwich launched nationally later in 2019.

References

I've strived to provide neutral, non-promotional language. My goal is to update the article with some of the most recent major changes to the company's operations, products and partnerships. @Whoisjohngalt: You've been so helpful reviewing requests so far, would you be willing to take a look at this one as well and add these 4–5 sentences appropriately? Thanks! Caroline at Dunkin' (talk) 17:49, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

 Done I changed some of the bulleted text to prose.Whoisjohngalt (talk) 18:17, 13 May 2020 (UTC)

@Whoisjohngalt: I wanted to share some more recent third party sourcing regarding the foam cup removal, if you find this helpful for updating the article:

• "Foam cups now a thing of the past at Dunkin'". WCVB-TV. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
• "Dunkin' replaces foam cups with double-walled paper cups at all US locations". WTHR. May 13, 2020.

Thanks! Caroline at Dunkin' (talk) 15:12, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

Sale confirmed: Inspire Brands will buy Dunkin'. Will make Inspire second largest US firm in its category https://www.wcvb.com/article/dunkin-to-be-sold-to-inspire-brands-11-billion-report/34538231 Kdammers (talk) 02:47, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Requested move 1 May 2021

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: Not moved and closed early per WP:SNOW (closed by non-admin page mover) -- Calidum 18:10, 6 May 2021 (UTC)

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Dunkin' Donuts → Dunkin' – Company's new name. UserTwoSix (talk) 00:06, 1 May 2021 (UTC)

This is a contested technical request (permalink). Anthony Appleyard (talk) 08:45, 1 May 2021 (UTC)

• @UserTwoSix and Lord Bolingbroke: queried move request Anthony Appleyard (talk) 08:45, 1 May 2021 (UTC)
• @UserTwoSix: Wikipedia does not always use official names in article titles per WP:OFFICIAL. A Google search shows that many sources continue to use the old name (see [1][2][3][4]), so I think a discussion is needed here. – Lord Bolingbroke (talk) 00:31, 1 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose - I think there has to bee sufficient adoption of the new name (Dunkin) before the article can be named just "Dunkin". CanadianAndNYer (talk) 18:46, 1 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose. The issue continues to be that the company has been slow to adopt the shortened Dunkin' brand name across a majority of its over 12,900 locations in 42 countries. In many countries, the longer Dunkin' Donuts brand remains the common name. And the company's official name is still Dunkin' Donuts LLC.[5] Zzyzx11 (talk) 22:17, 1 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose: Not the WP:COMMONNAME. — BarrelProof (talk) 04:26, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose - No evidence that the abbreviated title is the WP:COMMONNAME or the WP:PRIMARYTOPIC for the term. HumanBodyPiloter5 (talk) 05:46, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose move and snowclose. It's been a while since the last RM, but there's been no evidence provided that the common name has changed. O.N.R. ^(talk) 17:26, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
• Comment Previous Move Proposals: Talk:Dunkin'_Donuts/Archive_2#Requested_move_9_January_2019 and Talk:Dunkin'_Donuts/Archive_2#Requested_move_3_February_2019. UserTwoSix (talk) 18:27, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose: I agree with the WP:COMMONNAME concerns that were raised above. While the company may have changed the name, I would still believe most people know it by the previous title. Aoba47 (talk) 02:50, 3 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose: Barely two years as " Dunkin' " versus 70 years as "Dunkin' Donuts"? The original name is embedded in the mind of the average consumer. WP:COMMONNAME applies.—apple2gs (talk) 23:22, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose per above. The old name is still more commonly used. LSGH (talk) (contributions)
• Oppose. Current title is still the common name. Rreagan007 (talk) 17:25, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
• Oppose not only has the original name been in place for far longer, but people still often know the company as such even after it got retitled, and it's more commonly used than simply "Dunkin'". This is just WP:Recentism. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 19:29, 4 May 2021 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Not doughnuts

Dunkin' Donuts does not make or sell doughnuts (US: 'donuts'). It makes cakes. Doughnuts are deep-fried. The products sold by this company are baked. 2A01:4C8:D20:AB17:1:1:3E9E:FFB2 (talk) 14:25, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

I dont think the marketing department would approve of "Dunkin' Cakes" !! -Roxy the grumpy dog. wooF 06:46, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

Sports Sponsorship

Among others, Dunkin' Donuts is also an official partner with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, MLS Chicago Fire, MLB's New York Yankees and New York Mets and the NHL's Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. 73.86.123.197 (talk) 19:57, 3 April 2022 (UTC)

Requested move 7 April 2022

Dunkin' Donuts → Dunkin' – Per WP:NAMECHANGES and WP:COMMONNAME. A brief search on Google News yields the following examples of reliable independent third party sources that use Dunkin' as the name of the company:

• Jordan Valinsky (April 21, 2021). "Dunkin' is adding a new plant-based milk to menus". CNN Business.
• Danielle Wiener-Bronner (October 30, 2020). "Dunkin' is going private in $11.3 billion deal". CNN Business.
• "Dunkin' opens 100th Arizona locaiton in South Tempe". Daily Independent. March 28, 2022.
• Yasmin Amer (March 11, 2022). "Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins latest to halt investments in Russia". WBUR.
• "At former Dunkin in Easton, a Mediterranean eatery has opened. And it's serving killer kebabs". The Express-Times. April 4, 2022.
• Tina Moore (March 20, 2022). "Woman sought for questioning in fatal shooting near NYC Dunkin'". New York Post.
• Brandon Glass (April 1, 2022). "Business boom: Frostburg Plaza adding Dunkin', Big Lots". Cumberland Times-News.
• Hadley Cottingham (March 22, 2022). "Clarkesville Dunkin' and Baskin Robbins to open in June". Now Habersham.
• David Mekeel (March 8, 2022). "Berks food bank gets a $10,000 donation from Dunkin'". The Mercury.
• Julian Mark (March 9, 2022). "A Dunkin' manager fatally punched a customer after being called the n-word. He was sentenced to house arrest". The Washington Post.
• Chuck Fieldman (March 21, 2022). "Clarendon Hills Dunkin/Baskin Robbins proposed development draws opposition". Chicago Tribune.
• Minyvonne Burke (March 9, 2022). "Dunkin' employee who fatally punched customer sentenced to house arrest". NBC.
• Anabelle Doliner (April 2, 2021). "Woman Exposes Dunkin' Secrets Before Quitting in Latest Example of TikTok Trend". Newsweek.
• Audra Schroeder (March 18, 2022). "'They're just waiting for us to open the door': Dunkin' workers get trapped in store after cars seemingly wait for them at front and back entrances". The Daily Dot.
• Erica Hunzinger (March 6, 2022). "'Set me up for life': Female college athletes stash NIL cash". Associated Press.

In addition, both the company's website and the parent company's website list Dunkin' as the name of the company:

• "About Us $|$ Our Mission $|$ Dunkin' TM".
• "Inspire Brands".

The company is traded on the stock market as Dunkin' Brands Group Inc.

• "Dunkin' Brands Group Stock Forecast, Price & News".

Also, there is precedent on Wikipedia for companies that have rebranded to be moved to their new name, especially if the new name is used in reliable independent third party sources. See Meta Platforms for an example, which was formerly known as Facebook, Inc.. 130.126.255.134 (talk) 22:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

Those are not all reliable sources. New York Post is not, and your CNN content is not from the CNN newsroom, it appears to be user generated. GA-RT-22 (talk) 22:26, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

Replaced the CNN source with two different CNN Business sources. 130.126.255.134 (talk) 22:36, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

I don't see how WP:NAMECHANGE is relevant here. GA-RT-22 (talk) 22:56, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

They clearly meant WP:NAMECHANGES. Calidum 16:31, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

• Support – This question was snow closed less than a year ago, but I would support the change now. I was in a Dunkin recently and they didn't even have any donuts for sale. GA-RT-22 (talk) 23:00, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
• Support. I'm not a fan of this form of "link dump" nomination, since all it shows is that there are, in this case, 15 RS articles that use the proposed name, but tells us nothing about what overall proportion of RS use that name. But based on browsing Google News results for this year, I'm satisfied that a clear majority of RS coverage uses the new name (though the old one has certainly not disappeared - even in some of the sources cited in the nom, e.g. WaPo, Newsweek). Colin M (talk) 23:43, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
• Comment: The issue in last year's discussion for me, that I wrote above, was that "the company has been slow to adopt the shortened Dunkin' brand name across a majority of its over 12,900 locations in 42 countries. In many countries [where the company operates], the longer Dunkin' Donuts brand remains the common name". So far the OP has only cited reliable sources from the U.S. What is currently happening in most of those other countries? Like Germany. I would like to see some of that recent evidence from other countries besides the U.S. before I change my vote. Zzyzx11 (talk) 04:00, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
• Oppose - Still stand by my previous opinion. Known as "Dunkin' Donuts" for 70 years, versus (less than) 3 years under the shortened name; the original name is still embedded in the minds of the general public (myself included). I do not see how the span of 11 months since the last vote drastically changes things, WP:COMMONNAME still applies. --Apple2gs (talk) 06:10, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

  In other words, the common name is Dunkin' Donuts for 72 years and Dunkin' for 0 years, not 69 and 3 respectively. Georgia guy (talk) 11:41, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

  Honestly, the number of years that have passed under the new name is irrelevant, as long as there's a generation of people who still remember and maintain a familiarity with the original name and use it. Good example, see the Howard Johnson's article. For 97 years the restaurant/hotel company was known as "Howard Johnson's", and about 15+ years ago officially changed its name to "Howard Johnson by Wyndham". Yet the article title is STILL using the common name of "Howard Johnson's", even with the restaurants gone where the name originated from, almost no one in the public refers to it as Howard Johnson by Wyndham...and we're a decade and a half in. Eventually that'll change, when a whole new generation grows up and only knows of the hotel chain with the Wyndham name or without the plural 'S, but we go by what the general public still uses. I still call their hotels Howard Johnson's, and I still call Dunkin'...Dunkin' Donuts.--Apple2gs (talk) 00:24, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

  In your example, the number of years "Howard Johnson's" was the official name was 97 and the number of years for "Howard Johnson's by Wyndham" is 15, but if we change "official name" to "common name", then they're 112 and 0. Georgia guy (talk) 00:50, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

  The key here is COMMON NAME supersedes official name, it's not necessarily what the legal name is, but what the average person (the majority really) calls said thing. As another example, also 15 years ago, "Apple Computer" officially renamed itself "Apple". For some time I still called them Apple Computer out of habit and what I was familiar with, but these days, unlike Howard Johnson's, most people, myself included, just call them Apple. I suppose it's because it was only 30 years as Apple Computer and 15 years as Apple (versus 72 and 3 with Dunkin' Donuts, or 92 and 15 with HJ's) but also because they had expanded to more than just computers by that point. Back in the 80's and 90's, all Apple did was computers, but by 2007 they were making all kinds of gadgets and appliances. In the case of Apple, the article was renamed because the consensus is that is now their common name.--Apple2gs (talk) 03:24, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

• Oppose, per common name and May, 2021, RM snow close (nominator, please ping 2021 RM participants, thanks). Randy Kryn (talk) 11:34, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
• Strong Oppose, per common name. Esolo5002 (talk) 12:25, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
• Oppose move. It's been a year, but there's still no evidence the shortened name is the common name. The links above show evidence of a potential shift, but in the public consciousness, they're still Dunkin' Donuts. O.N.R. ^(talk) 16:13, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
• Support. Per WP:NAMECHANGES, "If the reliable sources written after the change is announced routinely use the new name, Wikipedia should follow suit and change relevant titles to match." We do not title our articles based on how long a name has been in use compared to a former name, nor do we consider "the public consciousness" (and if we did, the article would be at Dunks, not Dunkin' Donuts). Calidum 16:30, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

Dunks? Never heard that one. And don't forget Dunkin' Donuts Center still reflecting the common name. Randy Kryn (talk) 16:54, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

The naming rights deal for the arena expires this month [6] Calidum 17:24, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

Will the name then be Dunkin' Center or sold to another corporation to tag? Randy Kryn (talk) 17:34, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

They haven't announced it yet. Calidum 17:35, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

• Oppose Wikipedia is an international encyclopedia, not an American encyclopedia. Since Dunkin' Donuts is still the most widely used name outside of the United States, as shown in Google News searches in Germany, France, Poland, Sweden, Russia, et cetera, per WP:COMMONNAME it would make more sense to leave the page at its current name. 96.63.208.23 (talk) 18:12, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

  Most of those sources are not in English. Per WP:NAMECHANGES, "we give extra weight to independent, reliable English-language sources ("reliable sources") written after the name change." GA-RT-22 (talk) 13:40, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

• Oppose as per common name. Kpddg ^(talk) 11:14, 9 April 2022 (UTC)
• Support Update is necessary now. AnM2002 (talk) 09:08, 13 April 2022 (UTC)