The Profits Run on New Dunkin’ Donuts Products

It can be tempting in times of economic crises to batten down the hatches and wait out the storm.  Dunkin’ Donuts’ president and CEO, Nigel Travis, decided to take a different tack.  A slate of new products were behind much of the company’s 10.9 percent sales growth in the first quarter of 2012.  These numbers continued the upward trend from the end of 2011.

 

Travis believes that much of the growth resulted from an increase in customer traffic and spending.  New offerings, such as breakfast and bakery sandwiches, limited time selections, and K-cups to be used at home raised revenue without affecting the sales of products traditionally purchased in store.

 

Increased Revenue = Increased Expansion Opportunities

 

With a goal of doubling the number of Dunkin’ Donuts storefronts in the next 20 years, the numbers seen in the first quarter of 2012 are encouraging.  Existing franchise holders appear eager to expand their businesses and there is plenty of interest among potential new franchisees as well.  It all paints a very positive picture for the future of this popular chain.

 

Innovation at Dunkin’ Donuts goes beyond the kitchen and into the marketing department as well.  The new flavor of the month, 3-Point Chocolate, was introduced during March Madness capitalizing on annual basketball fever and samples of the new cake products lead to an increase in cake sales.

 

The Future of Dunkin’

 

Dunkin’ Brands continues to dedicate itself to growth and has just signed a new agreement that will supply its distribution network.  The contract with National DCP would help to drive down product costs in sparsely populated territories in order to encourage potential franchisees to tackle new areas.  The company hopes to see 260-280 new units by then end of 2012.

 

Sister company Baskin Robbins also saw good growth in the first quarter of 2012.  Sales were up 7.2 percent, although some of that increase may be attributed to warmer than normal weather throughout the period.

The 5 Best Restaurant Websites to Inspire You

It’s a peculiarity that some of the best restaurant websites aren’t necessarily for the best restaurants out there. In fact, some of the swankiest restaurants seem to be inversely related to some of the worst restaurant websites on the web. Restaurants are notorious for some of the worst web design on the Internet.

Why is that? Well, many of our chefs and restaurateurs aren’t exactly experts in web design. It seems that they sat down with a web consultant and were talked into some of the flashiest, noisiest, most over-the-top decisions in web design.

Fortunately, some restaurants are setting the bar a little higher. Take note as they lead the way in successful website design.

1. 1.      Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts has some of the best social media experts and web designers on their side. Every step of the way, they get their customers to interact with them and listen to them carefully as they develop their menu.

1. 2.      Wendy’s

Is it really any surprise that Wendy’s has some of the market’s share on superior web design? They are some of the first marketing geniuses after all.

1. 3.      Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday’s overall website is designed well and really shows the restaurant off without too much flash.

1. 4.      Pizza Express

Pizza Express has a simple design that really interacts with the user. It’s easy to navigate and their promotions are easily visible without being too in-your-face.

1. 5.      McDonalds

We saved McDonalds for the grand finale. This is web design at its finest regardless of how you feel about the food. The navigation bar is easy to follow. The front page has a clean, simple appearance along with some really eye-catching graphics.

If you feel that your website has been lacking traffic or the bounce rate is too high, check these guys out to see what they are doing right. It’s not hard to stand out in the crowd as one of the best restaurant websites.