Dunkin' Donuts Celebrates 60 Years of TODAY With "TODAY Donut"

CANTON, Mass., Jan. 9, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- As NBC's TODAY show honors its 60th anniversary this week, Dunkin' Donuts is helping people across America join the celebration in a sweet way. Dunkin' Donuts, America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, and TODAY, America's top morning news program, have come together to introduce a special "TODAY Donut."  Available at participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants throughout the U.S. today through January 15, the "TODAY Donut" features Dunkin' Donuts' famous yeast ring donut, topped with vanilla icing and TODAY-colored sprinkles in a red, orange and yellow mix.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110224/NY53806LOGO)

To help TODAY kick off its celebration, Stan Frankenthaler, Dunkin' Brands' Executive Chef and Vice President of Product Innovation, prepared a special cake befitting of the anniversary of one of America's most famous television programs. Stan presented the three-foot tall cake, created using only "TODAY Donuts" and Dunkin' Donuts' MUNCHKINS® donut hole treats, to TODAY anchors, crew and viewers live on-air during this morning's TODAY broadcast. Fans can visit Dunkin' Donuts' blog, "Behind the Beans," for instructions on how to make their own mini TODAY Donut cake at home.

Additionally, today Americans have a chance to win a $60 Dunkin' Donuts Card by guessing how many "TODAY Donuts" and MUNCHKINS® donut hole treats were featured in the special TODAY cake presented on-air. Tweet your guess to @dunkindonuts on Twitter, using hashtag #DDonutCake. Those who guess correctly will be entered into a random drawing to win a $60 Dunkin' Donuts Card. For additional terms and conditions related to Dunkin' Donuts' TODAY Donut Cake Twitter Contest, please visit: http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/promotions/Today_Twitter_Sweepstakes.html.  TODAY will be looking back at its remarkable history throughout the week. To join the online celebration tweet to @todayshow using #TODAYat60.

"Dunkin' Donuts and TODAY share a unique place in Americans' daily lives. For more than 60 years, our coffee and baked goods and their news and entertainment have both been an important ritual for Americans starting their morning and getting themselves running throughout the day," said John Costello, Chief Global Marketing and Innovation Officer at Dunkin' Brands. "We congratulate TODAY for their 60 years, and we believe fans will enjoy the chance to join the celebration in a fun way by enjoying our special TODAY Donut."

TODAY has been America's number one morning news program for 16 straight years.  When TODAY premiered in 1952, the broadcast forever changed the morning news landscape, and it has been part of Americans' lives ever since.  On Friday, January 13, 2012, the broadcast will celebrate its 60th Anniversary. 

Dunkin' Donuts is the leading baked goods and coffee chain in the world, selling 1.5 billion cups of hot and iced coffee and more than 1.9 billion donuts and MUNCHKINS® donut hole treats every year. Today, there are more than 7,000 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in 36 United States, plus the District of Columbia, and more than 3,000 international restaurants in 31 countries.

To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for five years running. The company has more than 10,000 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2010, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $6 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN). For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.  

About TODAY

In 2011, TODAY reached an unprecedented milestone spending 16 years as America's top rated morning news program.  This is the longest-running current winning streak in all of broadcast television.  Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Al Roker and Natalie Morales are co-anchors of TODAY.  Savannah Guthrie serves as a co- host of the third hour, and Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb are the co-hosts of the fourth hour of TODAY.  Jim Bell is the executive producer of TODAY, Monday through Friday 7-11 a.m.

Contact:
Jessica Gioglio
Dunkin' Brands
781-737-5200
[email protected]

SOURCE Dunkin' Donuts; TODAY