Dunkin’ Donuts is gearing up to open a restaurant in Pasadena next month under the rebranded name Dunkin.’

The name change speaks to the growing popularity of the company’s various coffees, iced drinks and frozen drinks.

“We collaborated with the franchisee to come up with the location’s signage, which is unique to the Pasadena restaurant and reflects our franchisee’s desire to reinforce Dunkin’s beverage-led focus,” the company said in a statement.

The restaurant at 275 S. Lake Ave. will be owned and operated by Bell Gardens-based Prell Restaurant Group as part of Dunkin’ Donuts’ ongoing expansion into California. Prell currently has Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Downey, Whittier and Bell Gardens and additional restaurants are planned for South El Monte, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Compton, Hawthorne and Bellflower.

“The signage at our Pasadena restaurant is unique to this specific location,” franchise owner Coby Sonenshine said. “No other locations with this signage have been announced.”

Lots of locations

A subsidiary of Canton, Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 12,200 restaurants in 45 countries worldwide, including more than 8,500 locations in the U.S.

The company has opened more than 30 locations in California in recent years and another 300 restaurants are planned. But Dunkin’ figures it will eventually have as many as 1,000 locations scattered throughout the Golden State. Its doughnut shops can currently be found in such Southland cities as Los Angeles, Northridge, Encino, Whittier, Long Beach, Upland, Riverside, Santa Ana and Irvine.

Big coffee sales

And that coffee? Well, the numbers tell the story.

By its own calculations, Dunkin’ Donuts figures it serves more than 1.9 billion cups of brewed hot and iced coffee worldwide each year. That equates to about 60 cups of coffee sold per second.

“We are excited about the progress we have made on our multiyear plan to transform Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. into a beverage-led, on-the-go brand,” Dunkin’ Brands Chairman and CEO Nigel Travis said on the company’s website.

But the donuts are still a big draw and the company serves up more than 50 varieties, including caramel, blueberry, cinnamon, french vanilla, hazelnut and toasted almond. The restaurants also offer breakfast sandwiches, bagels and English muffins.

Burt Flickinger III, managing director for the retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, put Dunkin’ Brands in perspective.

“The quality of their franchises and the cooperation between the franchisees and the corporation in terms of conditions and standards is outstanding,” he said. “They take care of their customers with the best products at extremely competitive prices and they are Starbucks’ worst nightmare because they often win in blind taste tests for coffee. Their franchises are also locally owned and operated, which is a tremendous plus for the communities.”

The profit picture

Dunkin Brands, also the parent company of Baskin-Robbins, posted a profit of $55.7 million for the second quarter of 2017, up from $49.6 million during the same period a year earlier.

Dunkin’ Donuts saw an 0.8 percent increase in comparable store sales growth during the second quarter while Baskin-Robbins’ comparable sales slipped by 0.9 percent.

That refers to sales at locations that were open during the entire three months of the second quarter.

Dunkin Brands franchisees and licensees opened 133 new restaurants around the globe during the second quarter, including 64 new Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the U.S. The company also unveiled 58 new Baskin-Robbins International locations, including 12 in the U.S.

Franchisee investments

Kate Jaspon, Dunkin’ Brands’ chief financial officer, said the company’s Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees in the U.S. have invested more than $1 billion in their restaurants over the past two years and have exceeded the company’s expectations for renewal fees year-to-date.

Jaspon said she expects U.S. franchisees to open another 330 to 350 restaurants this year.

Founded in 1950 by Bill Rosenberg, the first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant was opened in Quincy, Mass. Rosenberg licensed the first of many franchises in 1955.