Dunkin' Donuts Begins Redesigning Spaces

That bright orange and pink sign – which may wake you up as much as your cup of morning coffee – could soon be your retreat to kick back and relax.

Dunkin' Donuts franchises are being redesigned to persuade customers to hang around for more than their two-minute purchases. This marks the store's first radical redesign since its 1950 founding. CEO Nigel Travis said to Bloomberg that they've attacked Dunkin's old mindset that life finishes at 11 a.m., and he believes that a change in design will keep a steady stream of customers coming in throughout the day.

Some of the changes will include four different color schemes of earth tones, a jazz soundtrack, new soft seating, TVs, and Internet access, all creating a more relaxed and inviting environment. Franchisees can choose from four cost options, varying from $175,000 to $700,000, to build new stores. The latter option adds the most features, which include faux-leather chairs and glass partitions with color-changing LED lights.

Dunkin' is looking to double its number of stores to 15,000 as it pushes towards the West Coast. With 90 of the newly designed franchises up-and-running, the company is planning to have as many as 600 up by the end of the year.

"We can compete with Starbucks now," said Yini Castaneda, manager at a remodeled Dunkin' Donuts in downtown Chicago. With the change in atmosphere, the chain may be a true competitor with other coffee shops.