Fast Food Watch: All Signs Point to Dunkin' Donuts Giving Up on Beijing

Dunkin’ Donuts’ catch phrase “America Runs on Dunkin’” hasn’t translated too well to the Beijing market – with all of the doughnut and coffee purveyor’s Beijing shops now closed, according to listings on Dianping.

The order function on their WeChat mini program no longer works, yet no messages or announcements have been made on the brand’s official WeChat account since June.

Chinese news outlets haven’t made a big deal on the Beijing closures and shops in other cities like Shanghai are running business as usual.

However, this isn't the first time Dunkin’ has failed at gaining traction in the Beijing market, their first try having taken place in the late '90s.

When Dunkin’ originally arrived in Beijing in 1997, it failed to generate a customer base because China was not yet hooked on coffee, along with their realization too late that Beijingers prefer savory to sweet breakfast options.

Following that first try, Dunkin’ made a return to Beijing in 2016 following an announcement a year earlier of plans to expand from 16 stores in China – most concentrated in the southeast – to over 1,400 stores following a partnership deal with Philippine fast food chain Jollibee. We here at the Beijinger were more than pleased with this news, and even taste tested 18 of Dunkin’s doughnut varieties following their return to the capital.

But for one diehard American Dunkin' enthusiast we spoke to, the writing was on the wall a long time ago. During frequent visits to the coffee and doughnut shop, they told us, they'd constantly find it to closed during prime doughnut and coffee hours (aka pre-work). Also, staff in many of their locations seemed taken aback and unprepared to actually make coffee upon a customer's request.

Given Dunkin' in the US seems to thrive mostly on commuters who want a fast coffee and quick doughnut, the model just wasn't equipped to deliver in that regard.

Will you miss Dunkin’ following their second Beijing exit? What was your go to doughnut and coffee combo? Let us know in the comments!

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Images: Kyle Mullin, the Beijingers