Dunkin' Donuts Testing Prepared Food Kiosks

CANTON, Mass. — Dunkin' Donuts is testing Ready-to-Go Choices kiosks that offer a selection of sandwiches in some markets, reported Nation's Restaurant News. These grab-and-go kiosks are placed in front of the store's ordering line and include sub and sandwich items, such as Dunkin's Italian Sub and its Fruit and Cheese Platter, according to Stephen Anderson, analyst with Maxim Group LLC.

Anderson reportedly saw the kiosk inside a Connecticut Dunkin' Donuts location and confirmed that it was part of a market test. The initiative could boost same-store sales by 1 percent to 2 percent if a broader rollout in late 2016 or 2017 occurs, he estimated.

"We believe that morning customers may pick up an additional item, such as a sandwich or salad, for consumption later that day, while afternoon beverage customers can pick up a snack on the run," Anderson wrote in a March 28 note.

The kiosks could help with Dunkin' franchisees' cost structure as operators would have to keep prepared food on hand and the products are made at a central commissary, which keeps costs down, according to the report.

Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., parent company of Dunkin' Donuts, did not comment regarding the kiosk test.

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. has more than 11,700 restaurants in 43 countries worldwide.