Dunkin’ Donuts will be “Donuts” no more, as the company plans to drop the sweet treat from its name come January. The coffee chain will still serve doughnuts on its menu but is rebranding to be recognized for its coffee and other beverages, the Associated Press reported.
The 68-year-old company started testing the name change last year with a store it opened in Pasadena, Ca. It also opened up a “Dunkin'” shop near Boston Common last December. The chain is headquartered just outside Boston, in Canton, Ma.
Boston Magazine reported on the Dunkin’ Donuts name change last year, calling it an “identity crisis” that could only be described as “disyllabic horror.”
Reports of the name change suggest the company wants its customers to treat it like another coffee shop, which is why it kept the Dunkin’ and dropped the Donuts. But Boston Magazine writer Spencer Buell asked an important question last year: “Does anyone even dunk their donuts anymore? And: What the hell?”
The company also cut 10% of its menu earlier this year, as customers bid adieu to smoothies, the Big N’ Toasted, and ham and cheddar, among others.
Dunkin’ says it hopes to appeal to younger customers with its new name, which will still use the classic orange and pink color scheme.
Did millennials kill Dunkin’ Donuts, too?