Dear Dunkin’ Donuts,
As a native New Englander, I have enjoyed your donuts since the early 1970s. Some of my fondest childhood memories include picking out a dozen donuts at shops in Rockland, Maine; Bangor, Maine; Augusta, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Worcester, Massachusetts. I even remember your slogan and theme song from this period: “Dunkin’ Donuts…it’s worth the trip!”
However, all of this nostalgia may be coming to an end. I am concerned about recent changes to your menu, because I sense you are forgetting your core value proposition: donuts and coffee.
The bagels were a nice addition, as were the muffins. But everything you’ve added to your product line since then has been a mistake. I’m sorry, but when I think personal pizzas and flatbread sandwiches, I’m NOT thinking Dunkin’. I don’t know what I’m thinking about, but I know it’s not Dunkin’.
Come on, who’s buying this crap? It’s disgusting. What’s more, it’s taking away from your core business because loyal donut & coffee customers like myself do NOT want to wait on line while self-loathing “gourmands” order up one of your Bacon Lovers omelet things, wherein the eggs resemble the prototype for some new bulletproof material.
Maybe if you guys stuck with donuts, customers wouldn’t be so angry.
Two weeks ago in Manchester, Vermont, my wife and I waited on line at one of your “express” locations for at least 15 minutes. I’d like you to time fifteen minutes on a stopwatch and think about how interminable such a period is when you have to listen to all of the gross combinations of food items people are ordering at your locations. (Note: It was 7:30 am.) To wit,
“Yeah, gimme two flatbread pepperoni pizzas, two Bavarian cream and a vanilla latte.”
“I’ll have an egg white flatbread, one Bacon Lovers croissant and a Box of Joe.”
[And my favorite—he was a large fellow and alone...]
“I’d like three supreme omelets, three white hot chocolates, three 3-cheese flatbreads, and a Dunkin’ Donut.”
It’s time for you guys to get back to what you’re good at. Go back to your roots. Maybe invent some new donut combinations. I’m no business expert, but I have to believe the opportunity costs of offering all of this superfluous crap on your menus (i.e., the amount of time on line it adds for those of us just buying BLACK coffee) outweigh whatever gains you might be making.
If you don’t change, if you stick with this flailing, “throw it up there and see what sticks” business formula, I predict that Dunkin’ will be taking a dive. I don’t care for Krispy Kreme donuts, but they’re already gaining market share on you folks and will certainly continue to—unless you get your act together and go back to basics.
Don’t let me down.
Sincerely,
Chris Orcutt
A Loyal Dunkin’ Patron since 1970
P.S.: I buy a 5-pound bag of your beans online every month (or thereabouts). Your coffee is still the best, but don’t take it for granted!
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