DDIFO 20th Anniversary Conference

The independent association of Dunkin' Donuts' franchisees meets September 22 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It commemorates its 20th anniversary, DDIFO was formed as the British firm Allied-Lyons bought the company. When franchise owner Jason Dubinsky, formed the association "to ensure franchise owners had a voice and that their interestes were being protected." According to the DDIFO conference brochure:

Dunkin' management fought the takeover attempt and found it could not survive the hostile take over attempt by Mann. Dubinsky remembers that Allied-Lyonds based in London, England, which owned Baskin robbins, along with Tetley Tea, Martinson's coffee, Hiram Walker liquors and Allied Vintners wines also entered the picture for control of Dunkin' and eventually managed to buy the company. Dunkin management told Dubinsky the DDIFO was no The association will celebrate a number of new developments.

... When Allied-Lyons bought Dunkin' Donuts for $325 million, they kept the existing management structure, including [William] Rosenberg as CEO. Dunkin management told Dubinsky the DDIFO was no longer necessary because franchise owners were well-served by the existing advisory system.

This twentieth year marks a number of pioneering and new developments with an association that its franchisor has considered hostile from the get-go.

The DDIFO Moving Ahead Meeting Agenda, registration and floor plan can be found here.

Don Sniegowski, publisher of Blue MauMau will be in attendance reporting in real time on events. If you see the man in the Aloha shirt, please come and say hi.