PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
Dunkin'
Includes Dunkin Donuts, Dunkin' Donuts, DD
coffee & donuts · Canton, MA
- PE Firm
- Roark Capital →
- Acquirer
- Inspire Brands
- Year Acquired
- 2020
America runs on Dunkin'. Dunkin' runs on poverty wages.
What They Did
- Inspire Brands (Roark Capital) acquired Dunkin' for $11.3 billion in 2020, loading the company with massive acquisition debt
- Closed 800 U.S. locations in 2020 alone — the largest single-year closure in the chain's history
- DOL investigators found wage theft totaling $1.5 million+ owed to 3,600+ workers across 450+ inspections since 2010; average crew pay just $11/hour
- Chicago franchisee settled a class action after allegedly altering employees' clock-in/clock-out times to reduce recorded hours
Since the Acquisition
- Leaked 2022 internal document revealed 34 menu items being eliminated — frozen drinks, hot teas, sandwiches, bakery items, and donut varieties
- Coconut milk arrived in 2021 and was gone nationwide by the end of 2023 — so much for more non-dairy choices
- DOL investigators found Dunkin' stores owe $1.5 million+ in back wages to 3,600+ workers across 450+ inspections since 2010
- Dunkin' Rewards points now expire after 6 months of inactivity — one Massachusetts customer lost a $260 balance overnight with no warning, and the company refused to restore it
Sources
- Dunkin' Runs on Poverty Wages and Wage Theft — PESP(2022-07-14)
- Roark Capital's Booming Wage Theft Risk — PESP(2021-07-01)
- Dunkin' is closing 800 US locations — CNN(2020-07-30)
- Roark Capital — Current Investments (portfolio page)(2026-09-23)
- Dunkin' is taking this nondairy milk off its menu for good — NBC Boston(2023-12-21)