Dunkin' Donuts May Be Nixing a Big Part of Its Identity

Dunkin' Donuts is thinking about dumping "Donuts" from its name. A new location of the chain in Pasadena, Calif., will be simply called Dunkin', a move that parent company Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. calls a test, the AP reports. The Massachusetts-based company said Thursday that a few other stores will get the one-name treatment, too. The chain wants people to think of its stores as a destination for coffee, although it will still sell doughnuts.

Not that the name change will come as a huge shock to most who've been following the brand. "We have been referring to ourselves simply as Dunkin' in our advertising for more than a decade, ever since we introduced our 'America Runs on Dunkin'' campaign," a spokesperson tells Nation's Restaurant News, which first reported on the possible name change. Dunkin' Donuts said it won't make a decision on whether it will permanently change its name until late next year, when it expects to start redesigning stores. (Also out at Dunkin': artificial colors.)