Have you heard the news about Dunkin Donuts? Apparently their introduction of gluten-free treats in select Massachusetts and Florida stores was so successful that the stores couldn’t keep them in stock. From what I’ve heard, the two varieties they introduced went over very well, and many people in the celiac community appreciated Dunkin’s cheeky disclaimer, “Still really unhealthy.” Didn’t stop folks from snapping ’em up like hot cakes, but it’s nice to see a chain bucking the trendy “go gluten-free, lose weight” angle.
Did you have a chance to try one? I intended to on my last visit to Boston, but I didn’t manage to get to one of the few stores that carried them.
Turns out, it doesn’t matter much, because the success was so great that DD is rolling out gluten-free options nationwide. By 2015, all of their ~7,000 stores in the US will carry gluten-free options, and not just the cinnamon sugar donut and blueberry muffin they started out with but also other flavors currently being developed.
The spokesperson said people reported liking the gluten-free pastries better than the usual goodies on offer (perhaps, I’d wager, because they were shrinkwrapped rather than left out to get stale). He even confirmed there was talk of making all their products gluten-free by 2020, which would make Dunkin Donuts the first large mainstream franchise to go 100% gluten-free. This will be amazing for our community, both in terms of awareness and in terms of available donuts.
To be honest, I’ve never been much of a donut person. When I was younger, I had this odd insistence on only liking one flavor at any given time, so for a few months I’d accept only the powdered sugar donuts, then only the plain, old-fashioned donuts, then only the chocolate glazed donuts. Finally I just admitted defeat and moved on to the muffins (also the “healthier” option, each with only 100 to 300 calories more than the average donut).
Still, having grown up in its native Massachusetts, I do have a huge soft spot in my heart for Dunkin Donuts, mainly caused by a few too many iced coffees with cream and sugar. At the very least, I prefer DD to Starbucks. Less pretension, better coffee.
So I’m super excited for Dunkin Donuts to be all gluten-free by 2020! Are you?
Based on a Sprue Story 
I don’t know. Given that all the DD here in NH have signs on the counter warning those with food allergies that they take zero precautions against cross-contamination of anything at all in the store, I’d be concerned about their production. I mean, they’re shrink-wrapped, which is a start, but I would love to see them have third party confirmation of their GF status.
That said, I’m not a New England native, so I’m not as devoted to DD as someone who grew up here. I am, however, a life-long trained doughnut connoisseur, thanks to my father, so if I could eat these doughnuts, I might. If they were good. My own are great, but frankly, sometimes you just want something you didn’t bake yourself, right?
I THINK I heard a while back that they were being trained on production methods and cross contamination. I thought that they were actually being CERTIFIED gluten-free, too (which I think means testing < 10ppm), but this is based off a very poor short-term memory, so I could be wrong.
I think it's cool. And if all those other things I remember are actually true, even better because they're setting a good example of how bakeries should do it. I'm not going to ACTUALLY going to Dunkin Donuts just to try it, but if I'm out and about, hungry, and want something like that, I'd definitely have it!
OMG gluten free Dunkin Donuts?! I live in Canada and our equivalent is Tim Horton’s — here’s hoping this brilliant idea will catch on north of the border! lol one of my first blog posts was about wanting Timmies to have some g-free items! 🙂
We used to live in Massachusetts and I got used to always having a DD within a mile or 2. Although I didn’t eat the donuts often, I loved their iced coffees! Anyway, it would be lovely to be able to buy a GF box of munchkins for my little munchkins once in a while as a special treat while traveling back to MA to visit “Nana and Pop.” Thanks for sharing this info!
[…] was true and obviously worth a read. But more importantly, there were some very thoughtful comments about what Dunkin Donuts and other restaurants should do to gain the confidence of their […]
Sorry guys…I was just kidding. Forgive me!
Seriously, though, I do think it’s great they’re offering even the options they ARE actually offering, and I’d love to see them expand the selection and stores carrying them. Fingers crossed the joke comes true.
Thanks for commenting and sorry to disappoint!
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