“Dunkin’ Donuts” – not “Dunkin’” – made a quiet comeback in Cambridge this week.
Massachusetts’ favorite coffee shop chain, Dunkin’, opened a pop-up store stocked with 1990s-style merchandise outside MIT’s Stratton Center, bringing back its former name on sweaters, hats and windbreakers. The setup drew a stream of people stopping in out of curiosity, nostalgia or both.
Founded in Canton in 1950, Dunkin’ has long positioned itself as a New England staple with national reach. With 10,000 locations nationwide, Dunkin’ says it sells nearly 3 billion doughnuts annually when Munchkins are included in the total. The company reported $13.8 billion in global sales in 2024.
The three-day pop-up, which wraps up Friday, was timed ahead of Dunkin’s Super Bowl commercial rollout and designed as part of a broader ’90s-themed campaign, a company spokesperson said in an email. Alongside teaser videos online, the brand set up at a high-traffic area often used for MIT campus events.
“This is the student union, and there’s a lot of traffic here, so I would say location-wise it’s perfect,” said Katie Carruth, a senior administrative assistant at MIT. “Yesterday I walked past it, and it kind of blew my mind, and I came early this morning for a sweater, but they were all gone after about 10 minutes.”
According to an email to Cambridge Day from a Dunkin’ spokesperson, “being set at MIT is a very Boston choice” that “serves as a subtle breadcrumb that suggests there’s more to the ’90s rewind than just nostalgia.”
For some visitors, the pop-up was less of a surprise than a seasonal routine. Kyle Pellerin, a Massachusetts resident who visited after his fiancé told him about it, said Dunkin’s Super Bowl campaigns have become familiar to him over the years.
“I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life,” Pellerin said, “so every time they do something, I usually catch it on my way to work.”
After seeing that Dunkin’ posted about the pop-up on Instagram Wednesday, Jack MacDonald said he stopped by because the throwback branding felt personal.
“I love Dunkin’, and I’m a Boston boy, so it’s always been part of my routine,” MacDonald said. “Every Sunday after church, my family used to get Dunkin’, so this is nostalgic and fun.”
Not everyone arrived knowing about the pop-up through social media. Some people said they learned about it after noticing others carrying Dunkin’-branded tote bags around the neighborhood.
“I’d seen seven or eight people walking around with these bags, so I asked someone what was going on and they told me there was a pop-up at MIT,” said Carlos Navarro, a Back Bay resident. “Dunkin’ kind of feels like it has no personality now, but it’s nice seeing Dunkin’ Donuts back.”
Dunkin said “fans may have the opportunity to shop the collection online in the future,” though the company has not announced any details beyond the three-day pop-up. Some visitors said the response suggested the throwback could return in some form.
“It would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t bring some of this back, and this is so cool,” said Sada Libby-Grantham, a local marketer who visited the pop-up after seeing it online. “People really wanted to get here, and the line was way longer than when I first arrived, too.”
For longtime Cambridge residents, the pop-up felt less like a marketing stunt and more like a reminder of how closely the brand is tied to daily life in the region.
“Dunkin’s always there for you, and it hits home,” said Emile Sater, who was born and raised in Cambridge. “It’s nice to have something familiar that people can all relate to, and I feel like paying homage to them, as Boston runs on Dunkin’.”
This story is part of a partnership between Cambridge Day and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
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