There is a God: Dunkin' Donuts On its Way Back to Beijing

Michael Wester | Jan 8, 2016 1:00 pm | 26 comments | 15397 reads

[Update 2/24: DD's first shop, in Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi, opens Feb 25] Oh thank the Lord! After a decade and a half of absence, American coffee-and-donuts king Dunkin' Donuts is on its way back to Beijing – and its first store will be open by the end of January.

The company is being a little hush-hush about specifics, but we hear the first store will be open before Chinese New Year at the Carrefour building in the Tiantongyuan area of Changping.

Next on the list, due to open shortly after CNY, are shops in Shunyi's Pinnacle Plaza and one in Wangjing. Later a handful of others will be rolled out in Beijing.

RELATED: We Put Beijing's Dunkin Donuts to the Test: Which of Their 18 Varieties is the Best?

The store facade is up in Shunyi and the person who runs DD's official Weibo account confimred with us that the openings are imminent.

We also heard from one former staffer that they've been planning a Beijing launch for quite some time – which makes sense as they announced almost exactly a year ago that a massive roll-out of 1,400 stores (to add to the existing 17 or so) across China was afoot.

For you fresh-off-the-boaters (and anyone who came to Beijing after SARS is still a newbie in my eyes), Beijing had several Dunkin' Donuts pre-2000, where they were typically paired with their co-franchisee, Baskin Robbins.

But while Baskin's survived, DD died a slow death at the hands of fickle Beijing consumers who at the time barely drank coffee and would complain about the donuts being too sweet (while knocking back a bottled ice tea with 26 teaspoons of sugar dissolved into it) or too unhealthy for breakfast (as they scarfed down their streetside youtiao deep fried in gutter oil).

Truth be told the franchise sucked back then – their coffee was terrible and the volume of sales was low, which meant the pastry cases were usually lightly dotted with a few stale donuts of the least desirable varieties.

My how times have changed. China is totally into coffee these days and the hoi polloi are a lot less likely to turn up their nose at sweet stuff.

Shanghai has had Dunkin's for quite a while (seven locations) and it's not half bad – I make it my patriotic duty as an overweight, pre-diabetic American to patronize it every time I'm down south. And goshdarn it even relative backwaters like Shenyang have them (nine locations). There's even one in Fushun. Quick: tell me where Fushun is. Right: Nowhere. For shame, Beijing.

For those of you unfamiliar with the brand, think Starbucks, but with better coffee, cheaper prices, and baked goods that don't remind you of crusty DIY papier-mache projects. Dunkin' Donuts is the anti-Starbucks for us working stiffs and regular joes who are not there to pose, but to fuel up on two of life's critical food groups: caffeine and sugar.

So get yourselves ready for the Beijing launch by taking a gander of what's on offer at the Shanghai stores, which we presume will be the same in Beijing. Sure they do a little "catering to the home team" with some odd flavors and shapes (round not good enough for ya, China?) but there's enough for the DD traditionalist in all of us.

For instance, while you'll definitely want to stay far away from the Dry Pork and Seaweed:

there's still a lot of classics to select from,such as the classic Glazed:

the perfect-for-dunking-in-hot-black-coffee Old Fashioned (though they call it Original in China):

the Chocolate Frosted:

the Boston Kreme:

and the Cinnamon Roll:

Absolutely criminal is the fact that the Blueberry Cake, the king of donuts, has been left off the China menu. Look at this baby and tell me you don't immediately want to thrust it upon your tastebuds:

In the meantime, we can only hope the franchisee gets it together enough to make it open before Spring Festival. We'll keep you posted as we hear updates on when and where we Beijingers can expect the shops to open.

Images: Dunkin' Donuts China, alloveralbany.com

 

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Sun, 08/28/2016 - 08:52

2016-04-18 努力开店的小DDunkinDonuts华北

 

北京荣祥广场店

Beijing Pinnacle Plaza Store

地址：北京市顺义区空港区馨园一路2号院荣祥广场2号楼38号商铺

Address：2#38, Pinnacle Plaza, 1 Xinyuan Road, Konggang Avenue, Shunyi District, Beijing

电话 Tel：010 - 6146 0716

营业时间 Business Hours：07:00 - 22:00

 

北京龙德广场店

Beijing Longde Mall Store

地址：北京市昌平区立汤路186号龙德广场101号家乐福购物中心一层

Address：101 Longed Plaza, 186 Litang Road, Changping District, Beijing

电话 Tel：010 - 8494 8175

营业时间 Business Hours：08:30 - 22:00

 

北京祥云小镇店

Beijing Shine City Store

地址：北京市顺义区安泰大街6号院10号楼祥云小镇10-105

Address：105-10 Shine City, 6# Antai Avenue, Shunyi District, Beijing

电话 Tel：010 - 8494 8175

营业时间 Business Hours：10:00 - 21:30

 

北京望京方恒店

Beijing Wangjing Focus Mall Store

地址：北京市朝阳区阜通东大街6号院4号楼一层方恒购物中心

Address：Fangheng Shopping Mall, East of Futong Avenue, Wangjing, Chaoyang District, Beijing 

电话 Tel：010 - 84785400

营业时间 Business Hours：07:00 - 22:00

 

北京apm购物中心店

Beijing apm Shopping Center Store

地址：北京市东城区王府井大街138号apm购物中心地下一层北侧

Address：Apm shopping center B1, #138 Wangfujing Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing 

电话 Tel：010 - 6522 8179

营业时间 Business Hours：10:00 - 22:00

 

 

北京五道口华联店

Beijing Wudaokou Hualian Store

地址：北京海淀区成府路28号优胜大厦五道口购物中心L1-33~37号商铺 

Address：Wudaokou Shopping Mall, 28th U-Center, Haidian District, Beijing

营业时间 Business Hours：08:00 - 22:00


 

 

 

北京金融街店

Beijing Exchange Walk Store

即将开启！

Coming Soon!

 

北京朝阳大悦城店

Beijing Chaoyang JoyCity Store

即将开启！

Coming Soon!

 

 

北京悠唐店

Beijing U－Town Store

即将开启！

Coming Soon!

 

北京复兴门百盛店

Beijing Fuxingmen Parkson Store

即将开启！

Coming Soon!

 

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

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B Lane's picture B Lane Submitted by Guest on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 15:44

Your intuition is profoundly astute. Now that I understand in what exact sense you’ve chosen your words, and so carefully at that, I have no reason to take issue. Your apology is also quite moving. Here I had assumed you were carelessly using those words as they are commonly and pejoratively employed in western culture to affirm the undesirable state of being a woman and/or gay… at least as compared to being a not-gay man. My mistake. Now it’s my turn to apologize for my culturally contextual understandings of those words. We could have avoided the confusion in the first place if I’d only had my Merriam-Webster dictionary with me. Good thing neither of us are working in an industry where both the cultural significance and literal meanings behind word choices matter.

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 10:41

veganpunx wrote:

If it is not obvious yet, this was a typo (after the Oxford Dictionary a small mistake in a typed or printed text). There, P-A-R-E-N-T-H-E-S-I-S-E-D.

No prob. But again, why

Dear [Editor]:

I don't get it

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 06:17

B Lane wrote:

Dear Editor,

I totally agree with your assessment of Starbucks and their ridiculous assortment of “effeminate” drinks. Well said. Whenever I see a man drinking anything but black coffee I walk right over there and reach my hand down his pants to make sure his balls are still there. Question though, I spoke with some of my girlfriends and we want (need) to know… what about espresso? Until now, I had thought of it as the manliest of drinks because of its sheer strength, but now I am reconsidering… those tiny cups are actually quite dainty. What do you think? Do real men drink espresso or should be wary of possible frou-frou types?

I sense as well you perhaps have an issue with my choice of the word “effeminate”

I refer you to the Merriam-Webster definition of the word:

1: having feminine qualities untypical of a man :  not manly in appearance or manner
2: marked by an unbecoming delicacy or overrefinement

When I call Starbucks' fancy beverages effeminate, I mean that in both senses of the word ... yeah they strike me as both feminine and unbecomingly overrefined.

I apologize in advance for my antiquated and stereotypical definitions of what constitutes feminine.

As for frou-frou, Merriam-Webster defines it thusly:

1. Fussy or showy dress or ornamentation.
2. A rustling sound, as of silk.

I use the word in the first sense: Fussy, showy.

 

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 05:37

B Lane wrote:

As a fellow caffeine addict, I too care not to wait in lines of fancy people… but I must ask, what constitutes a “straight up” coffee exactly? How much fuss is too much before it’s not straight? To the point more specifically, I once dated someone who liked soymilk with his coffee, but now I’m wondering if I may have been merely a “beard”… if you know what I mean. Similarly, my friend’s father uses a hazelnut creamer in his coffee… but now she’s concerned that her mother’s life has been a complete lie. Please let me know what your book says. The matter has become urgent

I'm sure you have your own standards, but in the interest of clarification, this is a cup of coffee to me:

Dark Roast

And before I am accused of being too authoritarian and with true democratic Freedom of Choice in mind, I firmly stand on the side of: adulterate it all you want, at your leisure. Over where they put the napkins and shit so I don't have to wait in line for some barista to make some seven-step concoction.

The below, however, is a 540-calorie dessert that should be served at an ice cream parlor (and not complexly crafted to the 13 people in line in front of me when I am cranky due to the frequent caffeine withdrawal symptoms I suffer from):

Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème

And I'll admit, DD's also has its share of fussy drinks which sets me off too. But generally (at least where I come from) a much larger portion of the people in line in front of me at Dunkin Donuts order with the ruthless efficiency and restraint of former heroin junkies quietly awaiting their dose of methadone:

"Large coffee, black."

"Small with cream and sugar"

... which means service is generally quicker.

And please don't get me started on the atmosphere of a typical Starbucks. The incessant grinding whirr of two hihg-powered blenders running virtually all the time ruins what little atmosphere there is.

 

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 05:25

veganpunx wrote:

B Lane wrote:

Dear Editor,

I totally agree with your assessment of Starbucks and their ridiculous assortment of “effeminate” drinks. Well said. Whenever I see a man drinking anything but black coffee I walk right over there and reach my hand down his pants to make sure his balls are still there. Question though, I spoke with some of my girlfriends and we want (need) to know… what about espresso? Until now, I had thought of it as the manliest of drinks because of its sheer strength, but now I am reconsidering… those tiny cups are actually quite dainty. What do you think? Do real men drink espresso or should be wary of possible frou-frou types?

I'd have parenthesied editor.

I assume you mean parenthesized, or its British cousin parenthesised, as opposed to parenthesied.

So like:

Dear [Editor]:

Interesting punctuation choice. Any reason why?

 

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veganpunx's picture veganpunx Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 23:49

B Lane wrote:

Dear Editor,

I totally agree with your assessment of Starbucks and their ridiculous assortment of “effeminate” drinks. Well said. Whenever I see a man drinking anything but black coffee I walk right over there and reach my hand down his pants to make sure his balls are still there. Question though, I spoke with some of my girlfriends and we want (need) to know… what about espresso? Until now, I had thought of it as the manliest of drinks because of its sheer strength, but now I am reconsidering… those tiny cups are actually quite dainty. What do you think? Do real men drink espresso or should be wary of possible frou-frou types?

I'd have parenthesied editor.

B Lane's picture B Lane Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 21:39

As a fellow caffeine addict, I too care not to wait in lines of fancy people… but I must ask, what constitutes a “straight up” coffee exactly? How much fuss is too much before it’s not straight? To the point more specifically, I once dated someone who liked soymilk with his coffee, but now I’m wondering if I may have been merely a “beard”… if you know what I mean. Similarly, my friend’s father uses a hazelnut creamer in his coffee… but now she’s concerned that her mother’s life has been a complete lie. Please let me know what your book says. The matter has become urgent

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 18:12

Anything that's straight up is ok in my book, dainty or not. As a hopelessly addicted caffeine fiend, i care not to wait in long lines of people ordering fancy frozen shakes with sprinkles of this and shots of that and a head of whipped cream on top. That's what i like about Dunkin Donuts. It's garish and relatively straightforward. For simple-minded, ill-tempered people like me who just need their morning wakeup drugs quick and early, with a minumum of fussy customers ahead of me in line delivering 6-part instructions on how they like their coffee.

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

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B Lane's picture B Lane Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 16:27

Dear Editor,

I totally agree with your assessment of Starbucks and their ridiculous assortment of “effeminate” drinks. Well said. Whenever I see a man drinking anything but black coffee I walk right over there and reach my hand down his pants to make sure his balls are still there. Question though, I spoke with some of my girlfriends and we want (need) to know… what about espresso? Until now, I had thought of it as the manliest of drinks because of its sheer strength, but now I am reconsidering… those tiny cups are actually quite dainty. What do you think? Do real men drink espresso or should be wary of possible frou-frou types?

PatrickLi's picture PatrickLi Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 14:25

Dawleylu wrote:

How exactly does Dunkin Donuts win morally? Starbucks is one of the only companies in America to give part-time employees health benefits. Meanwhile, Dunkin employees earn minimum wage and receive annual raises of 20 to 50 cents....

Starbucks may win morally in the US but it absolutely loses in China.

Price for a medium Americano at different Starbucks stores in mid-2013,

Beijing:  RMB 22

Hong Kong: HKD 22, or RMB 18

New York: USD 1.85, or RMB 12.8

San Fransisco: USD 1.65, or RMB 11.2

Frankfurt: Euro 2.4, or RMB 19

Singapore: Singaporean Dollar 4.2, or RMB 21

London: British pound 1.7, or RMB 17

Price for a medium latte at different Starbucks stores in mid 2013,

Beijing: RMB 27

London: RMB 24.25

Chicago: RMB 19.98

Mumbai: RMB 14.6

According to various reports, Starbucks' costs come at three parts: production cost (purchase of raw mateirals etc), human resources, and rent & utilities.

Starbucks now uses "global sourcing" to purchase its coffee beans and other raw materials. They do not grow beans locally, but get all of their beans from a few designated growers, which means the production cost for all Starbucks stores around the globe is exactly the same.

As for costs of human resources, Starbucks pays much less to most of its Chinese workers than their American and British counterparts. A part-time student worker in Beijing earns no more than RMB 15/hour from Starbucks, much less (one third of) than USD 7.25 or RMB 45, the mimimum wage in most US states. 

As for operational costs, i.e. rent and utility, Starbucks' operational costs are similar in China and in the US at most. 

The only thing that may cost more in China than in the US is trasnportation. In fact, the cost of transporting coffee beans from Colombia to Tianjin Harbor is almost the same from transporting them to Los Angeles. However, what costs more is transportation within China.

Overall, Starbucks in China operate on a much lower expenses than Starbucks in the US, but its coffee is sold in China more expensively than it's sold in the US. 

This means Starbucks' profit rate in China is astronomically higher than its profit rate in US and Europe. According to various estimates, Starbucks' profit rate (revenue/investment) in China is roughly 16 times higher than it in Europe.

Starbucks profit rate as of mid-2013:

China/Asia Pacific: 32%

US: 21%

Europe: 1.9%

Think about it: At the end of the day, who gets the money from Starbucks astronomic revenues in China? Who's better off?

Starbucks shareholders, their billionaire Chinese partners, and the landlords who can easily raise the rent. 

Then who pays the money? Who's worse off?

The student workers and clients. They bear the ridiculous price because they think it's cool to work and shop there. 

Foucault's view is in modern society, power comes from awareness. These student workers and buyers need to be told that there's nothing cool per se in drinking a Starbucks coffee. You buy it because you think it's worth it, and if you don't think it's worth it, you don't have to buy it. Corporations are so powerful, in Foucault's view, in modern society. They have the power to shape people's awareness, and they abuse this power.

Is Starbucks intrinsically wrong? 

No. It's making as much money as it can, and that's business.

Do I dislike it?

Yes. 

Dawleylu's picture Dawleylu Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 11:26

I'm also from New England and not only drank Dunkin Donuts coffee for 10 years, but also worked there in high school. You have to be the first New Englander (assuming that was your place of birth) to ever present the assertion that Dunkin Donut's quality is above Starbucks or even other locally owned coffee shops. Cheaper? Yes. Quicker and more convienent? Yes. Better quality? Unequivocally no. And i don't drink "frou-frou drinks", whatever that means. Just plain coffee. At the end of day, to each his own, but Dunkin's coffee is of a lower quality, hence the lower price.

Live Free or Die

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 10:16

PatrickLi wrote:
I am too poor to sample a Starbucks coffee (RMB 28/USD 4.5 for a large Americano) in Beijing

Tightwad Tip: Order a single espresso (RMB 15 or RMB 19 I think, the last time I checked). When you go to the end of the counter, ask for it to go, and they will put it in their small cup size. Then ask the barista to add hot water to the cup. Voila! That's an Americano (espresso+hot water)

 

 

 

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PatrickLi's picture PatrickLi Submitted by Guest on Tue, 01/12/2016 - 03:37

Dawleylu wrote:

"For those of you unfamiliar with the brand, think Starbucks, but with better coffee," Are you serious? Dunkin Donut's coffee is absolutely terrible. 

I am too poor to sample a Starbucks coffee (RMB 28/USD 4.5 for a large Americano) in Beijing, and we didn't even have a Starbucks in the neighborhood I lived in the US, so I don't think I'm qualified to comment on Starbucks' coffee, but Dunkin Donut's coffee is absolutely not terrible. 

And it wins morally anyway. Who'd buy a cup of Americano for RMB 28 while knowing kids in Africa are starving because they can't afford one-dollar meals? 

admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Mon, 01/11/2016 - 08:39

Dawleylu wrote:

"For those of you unfamiliar with the brand, think Starbucks, but with better coffee," Are you serious? Dunkin Donut's coffee is absolutely terrible. 

Yes I am serious. I'd choose Dunkins every time (and I do when I am home in Boston, where there are plenty of both). DD's coffee is much better than Starbucks. Starbucks' coffee beans are almost universally roasted to the point of being burnt, which makes their coffee have the romantic aroma of a full ashtray.


Note: I only drink my coffee black. I am not comparing all their frou-frou drinks like coffee coolatas and frappucinos and all that garbage. If you're a fancy poodle type who needs effeminate adulterations to your coffee, I suppose Starbucks might have the advantage

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 16:58

more importantly, the reason I'm excited about this is that no one -- yes no one -- in Beijing currently makes an even half-edible donut. Even German bakeries that have otherwise delicious pastries make awful, bready things with tough exteriors and a grainy sugar coating held on by residual grease.

It will be a miracle if Dunkin's can change the perceptions of locals ruined by a decade or more of shitty faux donuts

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admin's picture admin Submitted by Guest on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 16:47

Tom Carter wrote:

@Michael, methinks you don't know American doughnuts as well as you claim if you are sincerely looking forward to the Chinese version of Dunkin'. I live in Shanghai, where we already have this chain (as you mentioned), and was immediately turned off by how light and airy their donuts are - nothing like the thick, heavy donuts we know and love back in the States.

Actually I found their Glazed donuts to be almost identical to their US counterparts. The (raised) donuts at DD's in the US are airy too.

Tom Carter wrote:
The Mainland version of Dunkin’ are made specifically for Chinese digestive systems, meaning that they don't use much butter, eggs, lard or dairy in their ingredients. As such, they are no better than those flavorless so-called doughnuts sold at Chinese "bakeries" or those awful Mister Donut chains around China, which also lack the true ingredients that make American doughnuts so dangerously delicious.

Mister Donut I tried and agreed, they blow -- and while DD in Shanghai can't hold a candle to, say, a DD in its home state of Massachusetts, they are light years better than Mister Donut in Shanghai.

Tom Carter wrote:
It’s strange how much media coverage Dunkin’ has been getting out of their China debut (Time Magazine even covered it), yet not a single reporter has mentioned that their donuts use inferior ingredients (like shyte flour) and suffer in taste and quality.

That Time article is from 2015 (when they first announced the expansion plan)

Tom Carter wrote:
Not to mention that Chinese Dunkin’s do NOT make Old-Fashioned (as we know them), Apple Fritters, Cinnamon Twists or any other classic donuts. Instead, most of their showcases are filled with “cute” little pink-frosted things.

Yeah I hate the cutesy stuff, but I coulda sworn I saw an Old Fashioned the last time I was in Shanghai. And they go out of their way to describe the Old Fashioned (here called Original) on their Chinese website along with the cutesy stuff.

Tom Carter wrote:
What donut lovers in China need is Winchell's (the best doughnuts I have ever eaten since childhood) as long as they don’t adulterate them for Chinese palates. Hell, at this point I’d even settle for Krispy Kreme, which oddly failed in the China/Shanghai market after just a few desperate years.

Can't speak for Winchell's but DD has Krispy Kreme beat in my book

 

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