An immigrant family in Massachusetts keeps alive a beloved American culinary landmark.
Brothers Victor and Octavio Carvalho own the original Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts.
It’s a bucket-list destination and popular selfie-spot for coffee and donut fans from around the world.
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“We feel a sense of pride and responsibility,” Victor Carvalho told Fox News Digital.
The Carvalho brothers are first-generation Portuguese-Americans — and the second generation of their family entrusted with the landmark.
Victor, left, and Octavio Carvalho are the owners of the original Dunkin’ location in Quincy, Massachusetts. Their parents, immigrants from Portugal, took over the location in 1979 from the Rosenberg familiy that founded this first Dunkin’ Donuts here in 1950. (Courtesy Carvalho family)
Dunkin’ Donuts was founded by Boston-area entrepreneur William Rosenberg on this spot in 1950.
Victor and Octavio’s parents, Jose and Maria, arrived from the Azores in 1966.
They bought the original Dunkin’ from the Rosenberg family in 1979; it’s been in the Carvalho family ever since.
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“Dunkin’ means so much to our family because it changed our lives,” said Victor Carvalho, the first among five siblings born in the United States.
“My parents lived the American dream and were able to pass it down to us. It’s a passion for us now.”
A sign at a Dunkin’ in Trier, Germany, showing the original Dunkin’ location in Quincy, Massachusetts. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Dunkin’ now boasts over 13,000 locations in 40 nations around the world.
The original is something of a tourist attraction, drawing donut and coffee lovers from across the United States and from as far away as Saudi Arabia, said Carvalho.
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The original is also an international icon. Its picture is often displayed on the walls of Dunkin’ locations around the world as a tribute to its legacy.
Yet Dunkin’ remains a local brand in the eyes of people in Greater Boston and to the customers who are regulars at the original on Southern Artery (Route 3A).
The first Dunkin’ Donuts, founded in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950, remains a roadside attraction today that draws visitors from as far away as Saudi Arabia, said franchisee Victor Carvalho. (Dunkin’)
Dunkin’ Super Bowl ads in recent years have featured New England icons such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Tom Brady — often affecting a Boston accent to drive home the local roots of the international brand.
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Massachusetts residents, meanwhile, remain deeply devoted to Dunkin’.
The state boasts 3,162 Dunkin’ locations, according to data site ScrapeHero.com.
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That’s an amazing coffee-saturated 1 Dunkin’ for every 2,200 Bay State residents.
It’s easily the highest Dunkin’ density of any state in the Union.
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New York has more locations (4,287), yet its total equals just 1 Dunkin’ for every 4,500 residents.
The original Dunkin’ is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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