Popular U.S. cafe chain Dunkin\u2019 is expected to make a return to Canada, after shutting hundreds of locations before leaving eight years ago. <\/p>\n
Its return this time will be different, says Peter Mammas, the president and CEO of restaurant holding company Foodtastic, which signed a master franchising agreement with Dunkin\u2019 owner Inspire Brands to bring the cafe chain back to the North. <\/p>\n
Mammas says this time the chain\u2019s focus will be on Canadian ownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the support and the Canadian ownership is going to help the brand here make a comeback,\u201d says Mammas.<\/p>\n
Dunkin\u2019 confirmed its total exit from the Canadian market in September 2018. <\/p>\n
The failure of the brand was cemented by a $16.4 million civil court judgment awarded to Quebec franchisees<\/a> after they successfully sued Dunkin\u2019 Brands Canada Ltd. for failing to adequately support and promote the brand against competitors like Tim Hortons.<\/p>\n Mammas says that situation was different because it was many years ago under different leadership. <\/p>\n Now, a Canadian company bought the rights to the chain and will do things differently. <\/p>\n How many new Dunkin\u2019 stores?<\/p>\n Mammas expects the first Dunkin\u2019 cafes to open in Canada later this year. A year from now, he says the company will likely be able to open a cafe a week, and about 50 cafes a year. <\/p>\n The Montreal-based restaurant holding company owns and manages over 1,200 locations across Canada and internationally. Its portfolio includes major chains like Second Cup, Milestones, Freshii, Pita Pit, and Quesada.<\/p>\n With that experience, Mammas says the company is well positioned to scale the brand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have boots on the ground, so we\u2019re going to have local support to support the franchisees,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He says the company will concentrate on opening stories in Quebec and Ontario for the first two years before opening cafes in the Maritimes and the West Coast. <\/p>\n Mammas says Foodtastic already successfully brought Jimmy John\u2019s to Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we kind of found that it would be a good fit to bring Dunkin\u2019 back,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n What\u2019s new?<\/p>\n Mammas says the company plans to cater to a younger crowd while offering healthier food options. <\/p>\n He says Dunkin\u2019 parent company Inspire Brands has already done a great job revitalizing the brand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s become a younger, cooler brand. It\u2019s more in tune with the millennials and the Gen Zs,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to resonate with the 13 to 35 crowd, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to go after.\u201d<\/p>\n This means trying to target the \u201cbeverage drinkers\u201d he says, which has been a key focus for the company after it rebranded in 2018<\/a> to become a beverage-led company focusing heavily on coffee and iced beverages.<\/p>\n