How was Dunkin's Donuts born?
Although franchising is now among the basic commercial concepts of today, Bill Rosenberg is considered to have the most lasting influence on franchising. So who is this Bill Rosenberg and how does he relate to Dunkin?
Bill Rosenberg was born in 1916 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He left school in the eighth grade for family reasons and worked in his father's grocery store. Legend has it that when he was a little boy, he carried a block of ice to the New Hampshire racetrack and managed to make $171 in a single day by selling ice at 10 cents each. He started driving an ice cream truck at the age of 17 and was promoted to management at the age of 20 due to his entrepreneurial skills.
But wait a minute. There is another side to the story, the Dunkin side.
Dunkin's Donuts has its origins in World War II when Bill worked at Quincy Shipyards and realized that the shipyard workers had little choice for lunch. It dates back to the times of World War II. After the war in 1948, some used telephone companies bought the trucks, turned them into mobile food canteens, and began serving industrial estates with sandwiches, coffee, donuts, and snacks.
With nearly half of his sales coming from coffee and donuts, in 1948 Bill decided to open a restaurant called "Open Kettle" in Quincy. The shop quickly became a success, but Bill was dissatisfied with the name, and Open Kettle was renamed "Dunkin' Donuts" in 1950. New "Dunkin' Donuts" restaurants opened in a short time. Bill gave Howard Johnson and his franchise chain of ice cream stores the idea to franchise Dunkin' Donuts. In 1955, the first franchised Dunkin's Donuts opened in Dedham, Massachusetts, selling 52 types of donuts that offer a different specialty each week of the year.
In 1963, the company opened its 100th restaurant, and by the 1970s it began serving more than 1,000 locations. Today they have more than 11,300 locations operating worldwide, with 3,200 international restaurants in 36 countries.
In 1963, Bill's son Robert took over the helm of the chain, which he would run until 1999. Under Robert's leadership, the company changed, reorganizing menu options, and switching to paper and styrofoam cups.
Robert started a national advertising program, replacing store stools and offering Dunkin's Donuts in non-traditional locations. It also began selling franchises to multi-unit operators.
Bill Rosenberg as Franchising Mentor
Over the years, Bill Rosenberg has taught everyone around him how to run an effective franchise. The pursuit of excellence, this man has always enjoyed discussions and challenging new ideas.
Establishment of the International Franchise Association
Rosenberg's biggest commercial success is clearly Dunkin' Donuts. However, his greatest influence is still considered to be his work on the establishment and shaping of the International Franchise Association. In addition to building the culture that exists at the International Franchise Association today, Bill helped establish the belief that the franchise model will evolve with franchisors and their franchise experience.
To achieve this goal, he pioneered the establishment of the International Franchise Association's Education Foundation in the 1980s. In addition to the courses developed for its members, the foundation today also has a course that, when completed, will award the Certified Franchise Manager certification and is the primary source of continuing research and education for franchising globally.
Great organizations are built on the culture of their founders. Experiencing the International Franchise Association is like meeting Bill Rosenberg. In 1959, with nearly a dozen franchisors gathered on a coffee table in a Chicago kitchen, Bill founded the International Franchise Association in 1960.
Working with legislators, IFA assisted in drafting laws that benefit both franchisees and franchisees, and with these efforts, the foundations of the system as it is today were laid by trying to address franchising and franchising issues.
Today, franchising is used in more than 120 industries, and IFA continues its efforts to improve the franchising performance of both franchisees and franchisees.
Bill Rosenberg died of bladder cancer on September 20, 2002, at the age of 86.
Note: Dunkin Donuts has announced that as of 2019, it will continue as Dunkin' by dropping the word "Donuts" from its name.