Dunkin' opened its first franchise location in 1955, five years after its Quincy, Massachusetts, shop began operating.
William Rosenberg founded the business in 1950 as Open Kettle, later changing the name to Dunkin’ Donuts. The company’s early model combined coffee and doughnuts, a pairing that became central to its identity and helped distinguish it from bakeries focused mainly on pastries.
Franchising allowed Dunkin’ to expand beyond its original Massachusetts base. The first franchise marked an important transition from a single local shop to a larger regional chain, although later growth accelerated over many decades rather than immediately after one opening.
This date is sometimes confused with 1950, the year the original Quincy shop opened, or with 1990, when Allied-Lyons acquired Dunkin’ Donuts. The company shortened its public name to Dunkin’ in 2019.