First, on the lighter side, Dunkin’ has always enjoyed strong loyalty from its customer base, but as the Boston area was being hit recently with a “bomb cyclone” (a storm [low pressure area] that undergoes rapid strengthening), two residents of the Massachusetts South Shore brought Dunkin loyalty to an entirely different level (if you want to skip the Tom Brady retirement commentary, go to the 1:00 mark!  And on a more newsworthy and strategic note, Dunkin’ reentered the store ownership arena this week, closing on a 31-store network in eastern Ohio. As we know, corporate store ownership can be a double-edged sword, but we are hopeful that Dunkin’ taking ownership and operation of a top-notch network in Ohio will make the company more cognizant and understanding of the challenges its franchise owners have encountered for years. At the same time, we want to congratulate SMB Donuts on a very successful 14-year run as a Dunkin’ franchisee!