‘My bank account history is all Dunkin, Dunkin, Dunkin.' Coffee chain hosts 75th anniversary celebration at first shop

Boston Globe

15-05-2025

The owner of the Quincy shop
and chair of the
'It's a great pride that we are here today to celebrate our 75th year anniversary,' Carvalho said.
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The location opened in 1948 under the name 'Open Kettle.' It was renamed 'Dunkin' Donuts' in May 1950, according to the company.
Carvalho's father became a franchisee in 1979 and the Quincy location has stayed in the family ever since, Carvalho said.
'When [my father] was ready to retire, he sat my brother and I down and said, 'Hey, I'm retiring. What do you guys want to do?' And that was a no-brainer,' Carvalho said. 'We wanted to continue in the family business ... I loved it from day one.'
Carvalho said that Dunkin' has changed 'a lot' since he became a franchisee.
'Our menu has changed ... We brought in all the digital stuff, all the stuff we need to stay relevant, but we're always true to our core values.'
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Headquartered in Canton, Dunkin' is the country's largest coffee and donut brand, with about 9,830 locations in the United States and more than 13,200 internationally, according to the
The Carvalhos are far from the only family in the Dunkin' business.
'We all know Dunkin' Donuts is a global brand, but it's really the families that make the stores work,' said State Representative Tackey Chan. 'While there are Dunkin's almost everywhere on the planet, there's still a person behind the counter that runs it. At each store, there's actually a small business.'
A rainy morning wasn't about to deter people from a shot at 75 free medium coffees.
'I only drink Dunkin',' said Christine Corbitt, of Braintree, as her 5-year-old granddaughter Sage
bounced in line next to her.
Corbitt said she's ecstatic to get free coffee for 75 days, as she picks up a medium hot caramel with skim milk daily.
'My bank account history is all Dunkin, Dunkin, Dunkin,' Corbitt said with a laugh.
Kyle Thorne, 26, and her father Rob, of Hingham, went to the event together after Kyle said she saw a Reddit post about the anniversary.
'I've just always grown up around Dunkin', so it's really nostalgic for me,' Thorne said.
Thorne recalled stumbling upon a Dunkin' while working in Morocco for the Peace Corps.
'I was so excited, I was tearing up,' Thorne said. 'Some of my fondest memories are of my dad bringing a box of donuts home on the weekend.'
Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at