Stan Frankenthaler, the executive chef and vice president of global product innovation at Dunkin' Brands, knows what it takes to create a successful menu.
Frankenthaler and his team of around 20 chefs have come through for his company, developing items like the Big N' Toasted and pork donuts.
Venessa Wong at Bloomberg Businessweek interviewed the "Willy Wonka" of Dunkin', and he made an interesting statement about the habits of Dunkin' customers. It's a big reason why Dunkin' has so many choices on its menu.
Here's what Frankenthaler had to say:
"Our customers are ritualistic. I would say mostly they are anchored around their coffee, and dabble around the bakery case and maybe try a breakfast sandwich one day.
Same thing happens on the Baskin-Robbins side: we have these pink spoon tastings, so people will come in, try the new flavor, and then order Very Berry Strawberry.
That’s why we have so many choices. Part of new flavors is definitely about reinforcing our position as a leader in the marketplace, and new always drives interest. Whether every customer takes that new flavor, we really don’t expect them to. They love their tried and true."