Dunkin’ was originally called Open Kettle when it began in 1948.
William Rosenberg opened the first Open Kettle shop in Quincy, Massachusetts. The business sold coffee and doughnuts, and Rosenberg changed the name to Dunkin’ Donuts in 1950. The new name more directly emphasized the pairing that became the company’s signature.
Dunkin’ grew through franchising and became a major coffee-and-baked-goods chain. Its menu later expanded beyond doughnuts to include breakfast sandwiches, iced drinks, and other coffee beverages. In 2018, the company shortened its public name to Dunkin’ as part of a branding effort focused more broadly on beverages and food.
Open Kettle is sometimes confused with the later Dunkin’ Donuts name or with the original names of competing doughnut chains. It was the first name of Rosenberg’s Quincy business, not a separate modern franchise.