CLOSE Dunkin' Donuts is dropping donut from their name. Keri Lumm reports. Buzz60

A Dunkin' Donuts logo is pictured on a shop in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. (Photo: AP)

It's official: Dunkin' is dropping Donuts – in name only.

The food chain announced Tuesday it will rebrand as simply Dunkin', with the new branding making appearances at locations and on merchandise starting in January.

However, it's not dropping the breakfast staple that helped make the chain famous. The top retailer of donuts in the U.S. sells 2.9 billion of the sweet treats – along with donut holes called Munchkins' – a year worldwide.

"While donuts may no longer appear in our logo, we remain committed to serving our signature donuts and will continue to offer new and seasonal varieties to delight donut lovers everywhere," Tony Weisman, U.S. chief marketing officer at Dunkin', said in a statement.

Dunkin' Donuts started testing the name change last year with a location it opened in Pasadena, Calif.

In recent years, Dunkin' has moved beyond just donuts into the beverage market with coffee and iced teas. Earlier this year, the chain introduced cold brew coffee.

The company is also diversifying its food selection. In June, Dunkin' rolled out donut fries, made with croissant-style doughnut dough and tossed in cinnamon sugar.

"By simplifying and modernizing our name, while still paying homage to our heritage, we have an opportunity to create an incredible new energy for Dunkin’, both in and outside our stores,” Weisman said.

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Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

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Dunkin' is dropping the donuts - from its name, anyway. Doughnuts are still on the menu, but the company is renaming itself "Dunkin'" to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks. The change will officially take place in January, when the new name will start appearing on napkins, boxes and signs at its U.S. stores. The name change will eventually be adopted by international stores. Dunkin' has more than 12,500 restaurants globally. The 68-year-old chain says its new logo will still have the familiar rounded font and orange-and-pink color scheme that the company has used since 1973. Canton, Massachusetts-based Dunkin' says the name change is one of several things it's doing to stay relevant to younger customers.

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Dunkin' Donuts is embracing its experiment with dropping the word Donuts from its name. They say they're not anti-donut, just pro-coffee. Starting in January the store will just be called Dunkin'.</s>Dunkin' Donuts has announced the company will rebrand to just Dunkin'. The coffeehouse chain announced today (September 25) that they will officially drop "Donuts" from all signage beginning in January.

The Dunkin' Brand's efforts will lead them into the new year as more of a modern "beverage-led" company. According to CNN, Dunkin' will focus "on coffees, teas, speedy service and to-go food including --- but not limited to -- doughnuts."

The first Dunkin' Donuts located in Quincy, Massachusetts opened in 1950. As of last year, there were more than 8,500 locations in the United States with plans to open an additional several hundred in 2018.

"Our new branding is one of many things we are doing as part of our blueprint for growth to modernize the Dunkin' experience for our customer," David Hoffmann (Dunkin' Brands CEO) told CNN.

Will you still run on Dunkin'?</s>Dunkin' Donuts, purveyor of, well, donuts and other confections typically ingested in far too much haste, is dropping Donuts from its name starting in January. The company says it's making the move to become better friends with its customers.

"After 68 years of America running on Dunkin', we're moving to a first-name basis. Excited to be #BFFstatus with you all," the company announced in a heavy emoji-laden tweet on Tuesday.

Although the company will continue to produce doughnuts, the name change is one part of a large-scale makeover for the company that Dunkin' Brands' CEO and U.S. President David Hoffmann said in a statement he believes "will keep our brand relevant for generations to come" as it continues moving toward a "beverage-led" retailer.

In 2013, Dunkin' Donuts began moving away from a doughnut-based identity, declaring itself a "beverage company," when beverage sales reached 58 percent. According to the New York Times, that figure has gone up slightly to 60 percent.

"Our new branding is one of many things we are doing as part of our blueprint for growth to modernize the Dunkin' experience for our customers," Hoffmann said.

Among the imminent changes is an overhaul of its store designs, the introduction of new drinks, including cold nitro brew coffee, a mobile order drive-through lane and placing baked goods inside a glass case "within arms reach of the guests" as opposed to putting them in bins behind the register.

"By simplifying and modernizing our name, while still paying homage to our heritage, we have an opportunity to create an incredible new energy for Dunkin', both in and outside our stores," said Tony Weisman, Chief Marketing Officer, Dunkin' U.S.

The announcement on Wednesday follows a small-scale test-run that started nearly a year ago.

Business Insider reported the first shop to drop the Donuts was in Quincy, Mass., in late 2017. The company expanded the experiment in August, altering signs in 30 Boston-area locations and 20 other shops nationwide.

Dunkin's move to make its name less product-specific is typical among companies seeking to expand their brand identity into new areas. As Vox noted, Starbucks Coffee was shortened to Starbucks in 2011, when then-CEO Howard Schultz acknowledged, "It's possible we'll have other products with our name on it and no coffee in it."

As of Monday, Weight Watchers revealed it will be going by WW. After more than 50 years, the company says the name is a better fit for its new mission to focus less on dieting and more on overall health and wellness.

In July, Jo-Ann Fabrics became just Joann. The purpose of the simpler, hyphen-free name is to communicate to new and old customers that the store has more than just fabric to offer, Steve Miller, senior vice president of marketing and ecommerce at Joann Stores, told Adweek.

But simpler isn't always better for everyone. Some Dunkin' Donuts fans on Twitter are not on Team Dunkin'.

JJ Lair raised a fair question: "If not donuts, what is being dunked? #Dunkin what?"

Twitter user, and apparent Arrested Development fan, Bob Loblaw, wrote: "Dunkin Donuts without the 'Donuts' is like renaming Taco Bell just 'Bell' or Burger King just 'King.'"

Meanwhile, a slew of people admonished Dunkin' Donuts for following in the footsteps of IHOP, which over the summer temporarily changed its name to IHOb, for International House of Burgers. Although the company claims the strategy worked, reporting an increase in burger sales by 75 percent, it was widely ridiculed by the public.

Ryan Sonnenberg tweeted, "At least it didn't change its name to #iHob to get press."</s>Dunkin’ is dropping the donuts — from its name, anyway.

Doughnuts are still on the menu, but Dunkin’ Donuts is renaming itself Dunkin’ to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks, which make up 60 percent of its sales.

The 68-year-old chain has toyed with the idea for a while. In 2006, it released a new motto — “America runs on Dunkin’ — that didn’t mention doughnuts. Last fall, it tested the “Dunkin’ ” logo on a new store in Pasadena, California; it has put the name on a few other stores since then.

“Our new branding is a clear signal that there’s something new at Dunkin’. It speaks to the breadth of our offerings,” said David Hoffman, the CEO Dunkin’ Brands, the chain’s parent company, in a conference call with media.

The name change will officially take place in January, when it will start appearing on napkins, boxes and signs at new and remodeled U.S. stores. The change will gradually be adopted as franchisees update their stores. It will be phased in overseas over the next year, the company said. Dunkin’ Donuts has 12,500 restaurants worldwide.

The new logo will still have Dunkin’ Donuts’ familiar rounded font and orange-and-pink color scheme, which the company has used since 1973. The Canton, Massachusetts-based company isn’t saying how much the change will cost.

Dunkin’ Donuts has always sold coffee, but hot breakfast sandwiches and specialty drinks like the fruity Coolatta and Cold Brew iced coffee have become increasingly important to the chain. In the second quarter of this year, the company noted that overall U.S. store traffic was down, but revenue was up thanks to sales of higher-margin iced coffee drinks and breakfast sandwiches.

Dunkin’ says the name change is one of several things it’s doing to stay relevant to younger customers. It’s also simplifying its menu and adding dedicated mobile ordering lanes.

But changing the name of iconic brands can be a big mistake, says Laura Ries, an Atlanta-based marketing consultant.

Ries says “Dunkin'” eventually won’t mean anything to younger customers who haven’t grown up with the full name. Specific words are easier for people to remember and conjure emotional connections, she said. Having “Donuts” in the name is also easier for people in overseas markets who may not know what “Dunkin'” means.

Messing with iconic brands can also have consequences. In 2016, 15 years after replacing Kentucky Fried Chicken with KFC, the company had to issue a press release to combat an online rumor that it was forced to change its name because it doesn’t serve real chicken.

And IHOP faced some backlash earlier this summer when it announced it was changing its name to IHOb to remind customers that it serves burgers as well as pancakes. That one was a publicity stunt, but it annoyed some customers.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ Chief Marketing Officer Tony Weisman said the company has done a lot of testing and doesn’t expect any customer backlash from the decision.
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• Bill Cosby in prison: Where he’ll go, what it will be like “The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” Weisman said. “It’s just going to feel very familiar to people.”

But Reis said even if doughnuts have fallen out of favor among a more health-conscious customer base, people already know Dunkin’ Donuts as a place where they can just get coffee and enjoy the doughnuts’ smell.

“There’s nothing wrong with still having ‘Donuts’ in your name,” she said. “Long term it was helping them, giving them a brand identity that was the opposite of Starbucks.”</s>Dunkin is dropping the donuts! Well, donuts will definitely still be on the menu but they are dropping donuts from their name.

The company is renaming itself “Dunkin’” to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks. They do want to appeal more the millennial demographic. They are looking to bring the name change into effect at the beginning of the year.

The new name will start appearing on napkins, boxes and signs at its U.S. stores and will eventually be adopted by international stores. The 68-year-old chain has more than 12,500 restaurants globally.

Dunkin’ Donuts to change its name to just Dunkin’! was originally published on www.mycolumbusmagic.com</s>
• Dunkin' Donuts announced it is officially dropping the "Donuts" from its name, going by simply "Dunkin'."
• The doughnut chain tested the new name at roughly 50 locations over the last year — and many customers responded with fury.
• The name change will officially take place in January 2019.

Dunkin' Donuts is officially changing its name to just Dunkin'.

On Tuesday, the chain announced plans to rebrand as simply "Dunkin'," with the change officially taking place in January 2019.

Dunkin' Donuts has already rebranded some stores — a decision that sparked some backlash. In August, the company announced plans to drop the "Donuts" in roughly 50 stores across the United States, following a small test in Massachusetts.

"They literally invented the word "Donut". They should keep it forever," wrote Twitter user @larocciDave.

Dunkin' Donuts has been making some major changes recently.

"The Dunkin' concept is part of a major rebrand that includes a new store design, drinks like nitro-infused cold brew, and digital ordering kiosks," Business Insider's Jessica Tyler reported in August.

In a tour of a next-generation Dunkin' store, Tyler reports that the most notable change — beyond the logo — is the inclusion of a new tap system for cold beverages. The tap includes nitro cold brew, cold brew, original-blend coffee, dark-roast coffee, decaf, green tea, and iced tea.

"Our new branding is one of many things we are doing as part of our blueprint for growth to modernize the Dunkin’ experience for our customers," Dunkin' Brands CEO David Hoffmann said in a statement about the name change. "From our next-generation restaurants, to our menu innovation, on-the-go ordering and value offerings, all delivered at the speed of Dunkin', we are working to provide our guests with great beverages, delicious food and unparalleled convenience."

Despite dropping the "Donuts," Dunkin' said in a press release that the chain will remain dedicated to the sweet treats, with Dunkin' remaining the No. 1 doughnut retailer in the US.</s>We apologize if this is giving you flashbacks to the horror of IHOb, but yet another breakfast-based chain is changing its name. The rebrand bug has bitten Dunkin' Donuts this time, but we're happy to report that you won't be swinging by Dunkin' Burgers anytime soon.

On Wednesday, Dunkin' Donuts announced its transformation into Dunkin', part of its increasing focus on drinks. The change will officially happen in January of 2019, but when you consider that the donut juggernaut has been using the tagline "America Runs on Dunkin'" since 2006, this has been a long time coming. Just think of it like your cousin Darrell has decided to go by D -- a cool, new, fun, casual self who, much like Darrell, serves coffee.

The only real change here is that the signage on the stores and cups and whatnot will now display the new name. Dunkin' (see how seamless that switch is?) has been shifting more toward drinks for a while now, like when it cut 10% of its menu earlier this year.

According to CNBC, drinks make up 60% of sales right now, so clearly there's food to be had at Dunkin' still. Chief Marketing Officer Tony Weisman stressed that in a statement: "While donuts may no longer appear in our logo, we remain committed to serving our signature donuts and will continue to offer new and seasonal varieties to delight donut lovers everywhere. There is no Dunkin’ without donuts!"

As long as it doesn't include burgers, that's fine with us.</s>
• Starting in January, Dunkin' Donuts will be known solely as Dunkin'.
• Many are freaking out.
• The jokes on Twitter are great.

After much teasing, Dunkin' Donuts announced on Tuesday that come January the chain will officially drop the word "Donuts" from its name, rebranding to simply Dunkin'.

The breakfast chain, which helped make donuts — both the word and the food— into the mainstream, is undergoing a major identity shift. And people have noticed.

On Twitter, people are freaking out — as they tend to do.

Needless to say, the jokes are excellent.

New Englanders, of course, demand democratic justice.

Some people think the new name exposes a major logical flaw.

Many are utterly apathetic, if not opposed to the change.

Some say this whole ordeal reminds them of the IHOP/IHOB botched burger launch.

And after Weight Watchers' wellness-focused rebrand to "WW" that was announced earlier this week, some people are just tired.
Dunkin' Donuts announces it will drop the "Donuts" part of its name and be simply known as "Dunkin' " beginning in January 2019.