Missing Dunkin' Donuts...

I grew up in a Philly suburb, and loved Dunkin' Donuts whenever I could get them. My neighbor was ecstatic when I got my license, because he would pay me 5 dollars to go to DD and buy him a coffee, the only coffee he would drink (and this was long before Starbucks infected the East, and $5 for coffee was a fortune). To me, DD was not blue collar (as it is marketed) but for the rich (since my parents never seemed to buy DD).

When I was in Ranger School in the Army (and starving), I dreamed of Dunkin Donuts. For five years after, I could not pass one without stopping and indulging. It embodies all that is good.

Now I live in Seattle. I know there is actually a DD somewhere near the airport, but I have not quite made it there yet. I go to Starbucks, look at the weak old pastries and order a nasty Americano, and just wish there was a DD closer.

And then, when I visited my parents, I found out that a lot of the DD franchises now double as a Baskin Robbins. It seems to me that this is the perfect franchise pair: DD in the morning, BR in the afternoon. It solves the empty floor space for both franchises during down areas, and probably doubles the customer base by getting DD customers accustomed to BR, and vice versa.

I think there is an opening in Seattle to grow this franchise, despite the Starbucks mania. If I had cash and time I would go for it.