Dunkin' Donuts will return to Canada with hundreds of locations, but will Quebec be included?
The first one could open this year.
A Dunkin' Donuts restaurant.
Look out, Tim Hortons. Dunkin' Donuts is coming back to Canada.
Montreal-based restaurant operator Foodtastic announced today that it has signed a master franchising agreement with Inspire Brands to bring Dunkin' back to Canada, with plans to open hundreds of locations nationwide in the near future.
Foodtastic, which already operates over 1,200 restaurants across 27 brands in Canada including Second Cup, Quesada, and Pita Pit, will have exclusive rights to develop Dunkin' nationally through both corporate and franchise-operated locations.
"Bringing Dunkin' back to Canada is a significant growth opportunity for Foodtastic and our franchise partners across the country," said Peter Mammas, Foodtastic founder and CEOm in a press release shared with MTL Blog. "This agreement demonstrates the strength of our relationship with Inspire Brands and the confidence we have built together through our work with Jimmy John's in Canada."
The menu is expected to include hot and iced coffees, espresso drinks, teas, donuts, sandwiches, and snacks.
For anyone in Quebec, the announcement comes with a complicated backstory. Dunkin' Donuts first landed in Canada in the early 1960s with a location in Montreal. At its peak, Dunkin' had over 200 locations in the province. Then, over roughly two decades, they started disappearing one by one. By 2017, only three Quebec stores were left. A year later, the last ones closed, ending over five decades of Dunkin' in Canada entirely.
The exit was not clean. In 2012, a group of Canadian franchisees won a $16.4 million civil court judgment against the parent company for failing to adequately promote the brand before the whole operation collapsed.
Whether Quebec figures into the new rollout is an open question. The press release does not specify which markets or provinces are being targeted first, and details on the broader expansion timeline are still to come.
Foodtastic has said more information on specific locations and franchise opportunities will be shared as development progresses. The first new Dunkin' location in Canada is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
