In 1948, Bill Rosenberg set up a small shop called Open Kettle selling sandwiches, pastries, and coffee in Quincy, Massachusetts. Up until then, Rosenberg, a German-Jewish immigrant, had worked in a steel mill. After a few years of making a few extra bucks selling coffee and doughnuts to the other workers, he figured he could turn his small-scale concession into an independent business.
The shop didn’t quite take off until 1950, when Rosenberg rebranded to the catchier name now known to all: Dunkin’ Donuts. Unlike other doughnut franchises at the time, which stuck to a couple of traditional flavors, by the mid-1950s, Dunkin’ was offering no fewer than 52 types of doughnuts.
Rosenberg passed away at the age of 86 in 2002 and has been resting here ever since. His legacy continues, thanks to12,000 Dunkin’ Donuts in 45 countries.
