By Paul Schott — For more than 30 years, customers have been visiting the Kent Center shopping plaza in Wilton for on-the-go essentials, such as coffee and donuts. But now the Dunkin’ store looks much different than it did in the early 1990s.
The store at 35 Danbury Road, which re-opened on Feb. 9 after a two-and-a-half-week renovation, is one of several Dunkin’ locations in southwestern Connecticut that have been remodeled in the past couple of years by Cain Management, a Norwalk-based Dunkin’ franchisee. The Cain family members who own and run the business said that refurbishing stores is essential to staying competitive in the quick-service restaurant industry.
“This is really stripping the lines, reconfiguring everything and making it more workable for the employees,” Shaun Cain, an operating partner at Cain Management, said in an interview at the Danbury Road store this week. “It’s basically almost like building a new store.”
The refurbishment has entailed top-to-bottom renovations, from floor tiles to wall coverings. New features include touch-screen kiosks that give customers another option for placing orders — with the offerings including the new, limited-time DunKings iced coffee featured in Dunkin’s celebrity-laden Super Bowl ad. There are also new glass-case displays of donuts and bakery products such as bagels, croissants and muffins. The new placement provides a more prominent showcase for those items than their former positions behind the counter. In addition, the remodeled stores have been equipped with new tap systems for beverages such as Dunkin’s nitrogen-infused, cold-brew coffee.
“Now you have the whole lineup of cold beverages right there that you can see with the (tap) paddles,” said Jim Cain Jr., also an operating partner at Cain Management and the brother of Shaun Cain. “You can’t have the nitro without having the tap system.”
The renovation of the approximately 2,800-square-foot store on Danbury Road, which first opened in 1991, and the refurbishment of other locations reflects the Cains’ fulfillment of a contractual obligation for them to remodel their Dunkin’ stores every 10 years. Last year, they renovated three stores in Norwalk: at 470 Main Ave., 196 East Ave., and 195 Main St. The latter location stands across the road from the original site of the Dunkin’ store that was opened in 1976 by Jim and Mary Cain, the founders of Cain Management and parents of Jim Cain Jr., and Shaun Cain. The Cains also renovated their stores at 411 W. Main St., and 2000 W. Main St., in Stamford; stores at 2 Lake Ave. Ext., and 82 Newtown Road in Danbury; and in 2022, they remodeled their store at 815 Lafayette Blvd., in Bridgeport.
Mark Moeller, a national restaurant consultant and founder of the Westport-based Recipe of Success, said the renovations extend beyond just touching up paint.
“Renovations are about improved traffic flow and throughput, greater touch points or views of the product and an improvement in the total guest experience,” that will lead to increased visits and sales, he said.
The Cains said that they have indeed seen an uptick in foot traffic and higher per-customer sales at the remodeled stores. In this way, they are getting a return on their investment. The remodeling of each store costs an average of about $400,000, according to Jim Cain.
“When you eliminate a lot of the obstacles and difficulty of ordering … people tend to spend more because they’re more comfortable and they know they’re going to get what they ordered,” Jim Cain said.
Several customers at the Wilton store this week spoke highly of the renovations.
“I think it’s great. I come here a lot, as I work pretty much diagonally across the street. I think they did a beautiful job,” said Daniel DeLoma, hospice chaplain at Waveny Life Care Network, a continuing-care provider. “I love the kiosks. I use them a lot in the morning when there are a lot of people here.”
Diantha Reid, a retired Norwalk resident, also praised the remodeling.
“I remember how it used to look, and I like this better,” Reid said. “I’m going to bring my girlfriends here.”
Similarly, a number of the Cains’ employees said that they were pleased with the improvements. They noted that the interior’s lighter color scheme makes the Wilton establishment more inviting, while space added between the counter and the back wall makes it easier for staff to take orders. They said they appreciated other flourishes such as a new wall sign that reads, “Wilton runs on Dunkin’.”
“We really put an effort into delivering a place with good aesthetics,” said district manager Daniela Ponce. “It looks brighter and more open.”
Among other recent developments, the Cains opened last week a Dunkin’ store at 364 Hope St., in Stamford, taking over a building that formerly housed a Wells Fargo bank branch. Last year, the Cains relocated their Dunkin’ store in downtown New Canaan, from 88 Elm St., to 48 Elm St.
In total, the Cains own and operate 47 Dunkin’ stores in Fairfield County. They said that they plan to renovate many more stores in the next few years.
The Cains’ stores are part of a network of more than 13,200 locations worldwide for the Canton, Mass.-headquartered Dunkin’, which describes itself as the largest coffee-and-donuts brand in the U.S. The portfolio of its parent company, Inspire Brands, also includes Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s and Sonic.
At the same time, some of Dunkin’s biggest rivals are also upgrading their infrastructure. Starbucks, for instance, has opened a number of stores and renovated several existing ones in Connecticut in the past year, while it plans to open several more in the state in the near future.
The competition between Dunkin’ and Starbucks has intensified in recent years, as Dunkin’ customers’ preferences have evolved. Jim Cain said that donuts and bakery products accounted for the vast majority of business when he and Mary Cain opened their first store in 1976. Now, beverages comprise the resounding majority of sales. But he said that Dunkin’s food still provides a crucial competitive advantage.
“We provide fresh donuts and fresh bakery items every single day,” Jim Cain added. “Even though it doesn’t occupy 80 percent of our business anymore — because that’s not what consumers want — it’s there. To me, it’s the differentiator that drives the business.”