Dunkin' Donuts increasing its offerings
Filed under: Food
This week, Dunkin' Donuts added more variations of chicken and tuna oven-toasted sandwiches to its menu in select markets -- for as low as $1.49 for a wrap.The popular hang out for breakfast and beverage has been expanding its offerings for quite sometime and morphing into something more than just a coffee and doughnut place. You can now have all three of your meals and more there.But why would a chain that has a strong hold on the breakfast market risk diluting its brand by expanding into a different territory?
(UPDATE: Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman McCall Goselin said in a phone interview that the move toward more lunch and dinner fare began in Feb 2008 in response to customer demand. The company is not worried about treading outside its comfort zone, because of its loyal following.
"There's a passion out there for Dunkin' Donuts," she said. "Customers come to us several times a day for great coffee, we want to give them more options.")
The company had said in a press release earlier that the new menu items are in response to "on-the-go, busy lifestyles and changing consumer eating habits and expectations". Chicken sandwiches will range from $1.49 to $2.99 for the initial pricing. Tuna offerings will be $2.99. But, of course, there's more to it than just offering more for less.
Restaurant sales have been extremely flat in the first three quarters, a fallout of the anorexic economy. The inflation rate at eating joints increased 4% while sales hovered at 1%, according to numbers provided by the Food Institute. Then throw in woeful statistics such as the ones released by Marketing to Moms last month. The study shows that some 58% of mothers are making more home-cooked meals to save money. Americans are shrinking their eating-out budget and chains are scrambling to increase their revenue, said Brian Todd, president of the Food Institute, in a phone interview .
And one way to do that is by expanding the menu.
Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic Consultants, told Walletpop that the move toward more lunch and dinner fare is a natural transition for Dunkin' Donuts. Competitors such as McDonald's and Burger King already upped the ante with their breakfast offerings, making the market extremely competitive. "So, it's their way of saying -- if everyone is coming into the breakfast market , we will look at lunches," Tristano said.
In the past few years the chain began selling bagels and breakfast sandwiches, so the equipment to experiment with variations of sandwiches was in place. Tristano said the menu expansions would help Dunkin' Donuts build on its brand and increase revenue by selling items that go for higher prices. It also gives them a chance to serve customers on different occasions, he said.
Judging by their recent store openings, they seem to be on the right track. The company is infiltrating the West Coast market and is also spreading its tentacles abroad.
And what does all this mean for you, Walletpop reader? Well, for one, if you are looking for a cheap and fast place for lunch, you might want to give them a try.
"The prices are the best thing about Dunkin' Donuts," said Krishna Mathias, a 41-year-old Somers Point, N.J., resident and a Dunkin' Donuts coffee fan, in an email.
I agree with Mathias, at less than $5, yeah, those sandwiches sure look like a savory deal.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-06-2009 @ 8:43AM
haley said...
I am a fan of dunkin donuts because in addtion to offering less expensive items, they also offer healthy food choices with whole wheat bread and egg whites.
For me it's all about portion control and getting some form of daily exercise Over the last 3 years I lost 50 pounds by eating less, avoiding processed foods and walking for at least 20 minutes every day. I also allow myself "treats" and never let myself feel deprived. One cookie won't kill you...a box of oreos followed by a pint of ice cream on the other hand is not the best choice!
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11-06-2009 @ 10:34AM
julie said...
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11-06-2009 @ 10:16AM
MUMMA said...
This is not a new thing at all ... does anyone remember DD way back in the 70's selling soups & chili? I do.
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11-06-2009 @ 10:44AM
SDEggo said...
I recently went to Dunkin' Donuts for the first time in many years. They are not common here on the West coast. The donuts were just as I remembered them to be..... terrible. And the coffee that is so highly touted is the same! Yuck!!
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11-06-2009 @ 12:39PM
xxxmorningxstar said...
I love Dunkin Donuts... their bagels are the best! They are HUGE and really tasty, despite being horribly fattening. They do offer reduced fat cream cheese, which is kind of nice, but the taste isn't so great. I like the egg and cheese croissants, too. I tried a pizza once and it was good, but for the fat content, I will never eat it again. One thing I will say is that the coffee is HORRIBLE. The only drink I'll buy there is peach or raspberry iced tea.
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11-06-2009 @ 8:44PM
J said...
The DD food offered today is okay. Not fantastic but good enough to eat when you are low on time and money.
They do have more healthful choices than before but sometimes the coffee can be a bit weak and the donuts can be stale. Sometimes VERY stale.
The soup that they sold in the 70s was the best I ever had. I can still remember eating the thick chicken noodle soup with the very wide noodles and lots of chicken. It was beyond anything that other chains sell today.
Even if they were to bring it back it would never be as good as it was back then.
Their current offerings are okay but a bit small in portion size. If they gave larger poritions and sold better coffee and doughnuts I would eat there more often.
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11-07-2009 @ 9:41AM
Serendipity said...
So for 3 years, I would go to a particular franchise, knowing that there was a 50% shot of my coffee order being wrong, but it was convenient. Finally, I decided to send a comments/concerns letter to the DD website. Corporate sent my letter to the manager, who in return shared my letter, which included my name, etc. with employees. As a result, the manager along with an employee looked me up and found me on Facebook. Sent a message to my Facebook account, to include kicking my dog in the liver, punching her in the face and wishing I get in a car wreck and terminal cancer. So needless to say I have not been back to that store nor any other DD store. I have been going to DD faithfully my whole life. Oh well, love affair over.
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11-06-2009 @ 3:14PM
cqdeed said...
I love Dunkin Donuts. I haven't seen one since I left the east coast many years ago. The ones I knew only sold donuts and coffee. I remember stopping there and picking up enough for the office crowd was a great way to start the whole office in a good mood for the day.
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11-06-2009 @ 4:04PM
Bagman520 said...
I started at DD like most do. I was a finisher, who is the guy who puts the jelly inside the donuts or whatever coating or frosting is called for on the outside. I got "promoted" to donut maker after about 8 months. That was the hardest job on the basis of physical work required that I have ever done. At the time, the DD coffee was the best around. It's still very good, but you can find comparable brands of 100% Arabica coffee in a lot of stores for a lot less. But let me tell you, there is nothing like a fresh DD cake donut and a cup of fresh DD coffee. And by the way, there really *is* a "Dunkin' Donut"!! It's a regular plain cake donut with a sort of handle on it for "dunkin" in the coffee. And it's something of a rookie server initiation ritual for a knowledgeable customer to ask for a "Dunkin' Donut" and watch the look of bewilderment on the server's face as if to say "They are *all* Dunkin' Donuts"!! Then the server is told what a Dunkin' Donut is, everyone has a good laugh, and the server is now officially "inside" and a member of the DD team. Keep it up, DD. We love you.
Bernie520
Seattle, WA
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11-06-2009 @ 5:56PM
Jack Keshner said...
Had their "Cuban" Sandwich the other day it was great almost like the "REAL" thing.
Love D,D
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11-06-2009 @ 8:51PM
J said...
O` I forgot there is a DD on Hudson St. in the West Village of NYC that sells very good Cuban Sandwiches. I went to high school in a Cuban neighborhood in West New York, NJ and ate hundreds of the real thing.
I had`nt had one in about 20 years and must admit that while the DD one is very Americanized it is not too bad and quite big for the price.
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