As 2021 got started, two important events began changing the outlook for the nation’s battered restaurant industry. People started getting vaccines and receiving a new round of $600 government relief checks. Data from the same period shows same-store sales increasing at many chain restaurants, according to the data insight company Black Box Intelligence. That matches…
While the coronavirus pandemic has changed many things in our daily lives, it has not had much of a jolt on coffee consumption. In fact, our collective thirst for coffee is only expected to grow next year. For Dunkin’ franchisees, that is just the kind of reassurance they need after a uniquely challenging year and…
The Dunkin’ shop on Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville, N.C. is a microcosm of the impact COVID-19 has had on the chain restaurant business. The newly remodeled next-generation shop is near a cluster of quick serve and fast casual restaurants like Krispy Kreme, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Dominos, along with local barbeque, Chinese and Mexican take-out…
On a typical weekday, any Dunkin’ in an urban setting would be bustling: walkers, commuters awaiting public transportation, tourists, and students would populate the register lines while the plan-ahead types would breeze in and out of the mobile pickup station. But since the COVID-19 pandemic first prompted shutdowns across the U.S. in March, urban franchisees…
Virtual learning has helped bring people together to learn, connect, and help business move forward during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s a key component for how Dunkin’ Brands has, during this unprecedented time, been able to uphold its motto: people over profits. “As a learning team, we take that seriously and have been working to…
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), travel on U.S. roads fell nearly 40 percent in April 2020 compared to the previous April, dropping to the lowest point in 25 years. FHA notes the Northeast region saw the largest drop in miles driven. As COVID-19 upended life’s typical routines – like commuting to work –…
In our lifetimes, we haven’t seen anything quite like the coronavirus pandemic. It is a fast-moving phenomenon that makes it hard to predict what will happen in a day, let alone a week or a month. As the nation shifted into a near quarantine in response to the outbreak, Dunkin’ franchise owners changed the way…
Covid-19 has thrown our way of living into treacherous and unchartered waters. We recognize that the impact to your business and your family is severe and broad. Through no fault of your own, you could be facing dire financial circumstances. The pain inflicted on businesses is as widespread as it is deep. It is critical…
Small Regular - No Sugar Newsletter is weekly email with news and updates - it is like a virtual cup of coffee with DDIFO Executive Director Ed Shanahan