Canada might not be the friendliest nation after all, based on recent food news. Despite trying to stay afloat in the country for over a decade, Dunkin’ Donuts is finally taking the hint that they’re just not wanted there anymore. As of September 5th, the remaining three Canadian Dunkin’ locations have officially closed.
To be fair, Canada doesn’t really have beef, per se, with Dunkin’ Donuts. In fact, they got off to a fine start. In the ’90s, Dunkin’ was doing a great business in Canada. The Massachusetts-based coffee chain had over 200 locations in Quebec alone, Eater reports.
But when the millennium hit, the chain’s popularity dwindled and their booming business declined to a sorry three stores (two of which were mall food court kiosks).
The last stand-alone Dunkin’ was located in the Montreal borough of Verdun. At the beginning of September, a Reddit user posted an update about the location, stating it had been turned into “Deli Donuts.” The new business reportedly serves similar items to Dunkin’ Donuts, yet the classic DD branding has been wiped out.
“Ugh it was fun while it lasted,” one Reddit user commented. Another wrote, “Goodnight, sweet prince.”
bye bye Dunkin' Donuts (biggest surprise is perhaps there were so few left in Canada) https://t.co/tB77FyBjDO
— Marina Strauss (@MarinaStrauss) September 5, 2018
Dunkin’ did experience an upset when Canadian franchise owners sued the company in 2003 for “failing to sufficiently promote its brand and offerings,” and won, as Eater reported. The franchisees were angered that Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t protect them well enough from their biggest competitor, Tim Hortons.
Ultimately, Canadian coffee drinkers chose their local hometown coffee hero Tim Hortons over DD, which lead to Dunkin’ being ousted from the country altogether.
Is Dunkin’ Donuts the Tim Horton’s of America, or is Tim Horton’s the Dunkin’ of Canada? Discuss. pic.twitter.com/CssyoD2i3C
— Toronto 6ixers (@6ixersultimate) September 1, 2018
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our loyal guests,” a Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson told Eater. “It has been an honor to serve our Canadian guests our brand’s range of high-quality coffees, baked goods and sandwiches.”
RIP Dunkin’ Donuts Canada. You made a valiant effort to get Canadians running on Dunkin’.
