Afternoon Delights

Dunkin’ Donuts Will Sic More Aggressive Cashiers on Afternoon Customers

Perhaps a bagel with that doughnut?
Perhaps a bagel with that doughnut? Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In an interview today, Dunkin’ Donuts CEO Nigel Travis basically gave the chain’s customers advance notice to prepare for all kinds of pitches and spiels the next time they pop in for their mid-afternoon Coolatta. Unlike the morning crowd, who prefer quickly delivered coffee and carbs and to get the hell out, Dunkin’s afternoon customers “are in a slightly different mode,” he says, which the chain now hopes will translate into more turkey sausage sandwiches and other items to offset rising prices. Doughnuts will migrate from the racks behind the counter up front into conspicuous, miniature pastry cases, the idea being that proximity to rainbow sprinkles wears away customers’ self-restraint, and we’re sure someone’s also done a behavioral study on the optimal way to up-sell Munchkins. “Franchisees are kind of excited about it,” Travis says. [AP/PPH]

Dunkin’ Donuts Will Sic More Aggressive Cashiers on Afternoon Customers