CANTON Mass. The franchisor of Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins and Togo’s said it has formed a panel of health and industry experts to advise the company on adjusting the brands’ menus to prevailing health trends.
Dunkin’ Brands said the board would assist management with research and perspective. It is not clear how active a role the advisory board would play. In recent years, a number of other fast feeders have formed blue-ribbon panels, ostensibly to guide the chains’ respective menu-development efforts. Both McDonald’s and KFC, for instance, have panels of mothers. Some observers have said those advisory bodies were organized more for public relations reasons than for help in actually crafting menus.
The board’s charter members include Dr. Caroline M. Apovian of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston University School of Medicine; Harry Kangis, vice chairman of the Coffee Quality Institute in Long Beach, Calif.; Dr. Susan Oliverio of Harvard Medical School in Boston; Judy C. Phillips of Boston’s South End Community Center; Nadine Sahyoun of the University of Maryland in College Park; Aryeh D. Stein of The Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta; and Tim Ryan, president of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Joe Scafido, Dunkin’ Brands’ chief creative and innovation officer, said the franchisor “looks forward to collaborating with this esteemed board to further develop a broad range of high-quality menu choices to accommodate the evolving needs of our busy, on-the-go customers.”
Although Dunkin’ Donuts has been diversifying its food and beverage offerings in recent years, particularly for lunch and dinner, the all-franchised chain is still best-known for its doughnuts and coffee. Baskin-Robbins specializes in ice cream and other indulgences. Togo’s, which Dunkin’ Brands has earmarked for divestiture, offers sandwiches and salads.
Dunkin’ Brands, based here, franchises more than 13,000 restaurants in 50 countries, including 7,293 Dunkin’ Donuts units, 5,838 Baskin-Robbins ice-cream shops and 280 Togo’s sandwich stores. In 2006 the company reported systemwide sales of $6.4 billion.