New Englanders like their donuts. And it’s big business, with a variety of chains and franchises eyeing the region for expansion to capture their market share.
The NPD Group Inc., a market research firm based in Port Washington, New York, reports that the Providence metropolitan area has more doughnut shops per capita than any other region in the U.S.
The Providence area is sprinkled with 25.3 doughnut shops per 100,000 people. (Boston offers a bit more than 20 shops per 100,000 people.)
The top 10 list ranking continues with Hartford-New Haven area, 16.7 doughnut shops per 100,000 people; followed by Portland, Maine, 14; Springfield, Mass., 12.9; Buffalo, N.Y., 10.8; Presque, Maine, 10.8; Bangor, Maine, 10.5; Albany, N.Y., 9.9; and Rochester, N.Y., 9.8.
Donut makers throughout New England include many independent bakeries with fierce followings along with Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Hortons Inc., Starbucks Corp., McDonald’s Corp. and Honey Dew Donuts Inc.
Dunkin’ Donuts is an international donut and coffee retailer founded in 1948 in Quincy, Mass., now headquartered in Canton, Mass.