Who founded Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950?

William Rosenberg founded Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950.

Rosenberg had previously operated an industrial catering business called Industrial Luncheon Services. He noticed that coffee and doughnuts were among the company’s most popular items, which led him to open a shop focused on those products.

The original business was called Open Kettle. Rosenberg renamed it Dunkin’ Donuts in 1950, choosing a name that emphasized dipping doughnuts into coffee. The brand later expanded through franchising and became one of the world’s largest coffee-and-doughnut chains.

The company shortened its public name to Dunkin’ in 2018. That change reflected a broader menu and the growing importance of coffee, although doughnuts remain central to the brand’s history and identity.