Coffee and doughnuts is a common food and drink pairing in the United States and Canada (where doughnuts are sometimes spelled donuts). [1] [2] [3] [4] The pairing is often consumed as a simple breakfast, [5] and is often consumed in doughnut shops as well as coffeeshops. [3] The pairing may also be served and consumed as a refreshment. [6]
Coffee breaks are sometimes taken as a work break during the mid-morning or mid-afternoon "to consume coffee and doughnuts (or rolls)." [7] In 1989, Harry Balzer, the chief industry analyst of the market research company NPD Group, stated that in the United States, 41–42% of all breakfasts included coffee and that 14.2% of all breakfasts included a doughnut. [8]
Coffee and doughnuts are sometimes provided as a part of events and fundraisers for various organizations, charities, groups and companies. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
The pairing of doughnuts and coffee became popular in the 1930s after Clark Gable did it in It Happened One Night . And urban legend states actress Mae Murray accidentally dunked her doughnuts in coffee. [14] It became a mainstay around World War II as doughnut shops were one of the few businesses open after midnight. Some doughnut shops would give coffee and doughnuts to police officers in exchange for free policing. Prior to this National Dunking Association had established campaigns for dunking doughnuts. [15]
Some companies use the phrase "coffee and doughnuts" in their business name, such as Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts in Los Angeles, California. [16] Krispy Kreme has provided free coffee and doughnuts in commemoration of National Coffee Day, and other companies have offered discounts or special offers in commemoration of the day. [17] [18] Tim Hortons is a Canadian multinational fast casual restaurant chain known for its coffee and doughnuts. [19]
In September 2015, Dunkin' Donuts, a doughnut and coffee shop chain, announced plans to move forward with a delivery program that includes delivery of coffee, doughnuts and other foods, to begin sometime in 2016. [20] [21] The delivery program is devised to use a mobile application for ordering products, and will be launched when the company updates its mobile application. [20] [21] The program was under consideration in June 2015. [22] The New York Post reported that this was done in efforts to increase competition with Starbucks Coffee. [22]
Coffee and doughnuts provide caffeine, and large amounts of fat and sugar.
In March 2013, it was reported that U.S. taxpayer money was funding the consumption of coffee, doughnuts, and other foods by U.S. lawmakers. [23] Coffee and doughnuts are commonly served at twelve-step meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. [24]
The English slang language terms "coffee-and" and "coffee-an" have been used in the 20th century as a noun to denote a cup of coffee and cakes or doughnuts, such as that being the most affordable meal available in a diner or café, and commonly considered to be 'the office diet'. [25] As an adjective, the term "coffee-and" was used in the 1930s relating to money, as in "just enough to buy coffee and doughnuts", and in the 20th century as a term referring to things that are "cheap, minimal" or "second rate". [25]
The 20th century English language slang term "coffee-and-doughnut gun" can refer to a "small, relatively powerless gun", and was also used in the 1920s as a slang term for "a second-rate, unthreatening gangster". [25]
Police are often described as favoring coffee and doughnuts for their rather inexpensive meals, especially in mornings, owing to the generally low pay they may receive for their work. This is common enough for a trope dealing with "cops in doughnut shops" to have arisen.
Others have speculated that the association police have with coffee and doughnuts arose as officers on night shifts used doughnut shops (one of the few businesses open all night in the 1940s) to write up notes, use the bathroom, and have a snack. [26]
A doughnut or donut is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty vendors. Doughnut is the traditional spelling, while donut is the simplified version; the terms are used interchangeably.
Krispy Kreme, Inc. is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain.
Tim Hortons Inc., known colloquially as Tim's, Timmies, or Timmy's, is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain with headquarters in Toronto; it serves coffee, donuts, sandwiches, breakfast egg muffins and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service restaurant chain, with 5,701 restaurants in 13 countries, as of September 2023.
Dunkin' Donuts, trading as Dunkin' since 2019, is an American multinational coffee and donut company, as well as a quick service restaurant. It was founded by Bill Rosenberg (1916–2002) in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950. The chain was acquired by Baskin-Robbins' holding company Allied Lyons in 1990; its acquisition of the Mister Donut chain and the conversion of that chain to Dunkin' Donuts facilitated the brand's growth in North America that year.
A cruller is a deep-fried pastry popular in parts of Europe and North America. Regarded as a form of cake doughnut in the latter, it is typically either made of a string of dough that is folded over and twisted twice to create its signature shape, or formed from a rectangle of dough with a cut in the center allowing it to be pulled over and through itself to produce distinctive twists in the sides of the pastry.
To dunk or to dip a biscuit or some other food, usually baked goods, means to submerge it into a drink, especially tea, coffee, or milk. Dunking releases more flavour from confections by dissolving the sugars, while also softening their texture. Dunking can be used to melt chocolate on biscuits to create a richer flavour.
Mister Donut is an international chain of doughnut stores, operating mostly in Asia. It was founded in the United States in 1956 by Harry Winokur. Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired by Allied Domecq in 1990, most of the North American stores became Dunkin' Donuts. Outside of the United States, Mister Donut maintains a presence in Japan, El Salvador, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Harry Winokur was an American businessman. He created the Mister Donut chain of doughnut shops. The chain grew to include 550 shops before being bought out by the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts in 1990. He was awarded the Horatio Alger Award in 1965.
William Rosenberg was an American entrepreneur who founded the Dunkin' Donuts franchise in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts, one of the pioneers in name-brand franchising, originally named the "Open Kettle" doughnut shop when established in 1948. At the end of 2011, there were more than 10,000 outlets of the chain in 32 countries.
Krispy Kreme UK is the United Kingdom subsidiary of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, an American company. The UK headquarters are in Camberley, Surrey.
National Donut Day or National Doughnut Day, celebrated in the United States and in some other countries, is on the first Friday of June of each year, succeeding the doughnut event created by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to honor those of their members who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I. The holiday celebrates the doughnut. Many American doughnut stores offer free doughnuts on the occasion.
The Boston cream doughnut is a round, solid, yeast-risen doughnut with chocolate frosting and a custard filling, resulting in a doughnut reminiscent of a miniature Boston cream pie.
The coconut doughnut is a variety of doughnut in the United States and Canada that is usually covered or topped with shredded or flaked coconut topping. It is often toasted or broiled, and there are variations made with chocolate and, in a 1959 recipe, orange juice in the dough and icing.
Coffee wars, sometimes referred to as caffeine wars, involve a variety of sales and marketing tactics by coffeehouse chains and espresso machine manufacturers to increase brand and consumer market share. In North America belligerents in these wars typically include large coffeehouses, such as Starbucks, Dunkin', McDonald's, and Tim Hortons. According to The Economist, the largest coffee war of the late 2000s was between Starbucks and McDonalds in the United States. The U.S. market has, since the early 2010s, been primarily contested by its two largest players, Starbucks and Dunkin'. Since 2020, competition over the Chinese coffee market has intensified between Starbucks and Luckin Coffee.
A tiger tail donut is a donut that is twisted with another ingredient so that it looks like the tail of a tiger. This other ingredient may vary; examples include chocolate; chocolate-flavoured dough; a combination of chocolate and cinnamon; and a combination of cinnamon, apples, and coconut. The tiger tail is the second most popular donut at The Donut Man in Glendora, California, United States, surpassed only by the shop's signature donut: the strawberry donut. In 2010, Dunkin' Donuts locations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, sold tiger tails to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. Erin Allday of The Press Democrat called the tiger tail the "most unusual donut" at the Donut Hut in Santa Rosa, California.
The old-fashioned doughnut is a term used for a variety of cake doughnut prepared in the shape of a ring with a cracked surface and tapered edges around it. While many early cookbooks included recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" that were made with yeast, the distinctive cake doughnuts sold in doughnut shops are made with chemical leavener and may have crisper texture compared to other styles of cake doughnuts. The cracked surface is usually glazed or coated with sugar.
Dawn Donuts is a doughnut chain begun in Jackson, Michigan. Although most of the chain was sold to Dunkin' Donuts in 1991, the bakery for the company's donuts remains operational, as do two locations in the Flint area.
Duck Donuts is an American doughnut shop chain based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 in Duck, North Carolina, by Russ DiGilio and Robin Griffith, and has since expanded to over 100 locations in the United States. The chain's products include customizable, made-to-order doughnuts, other baked goods, and a range of beverages.
Daily Dozen Doughnut Company is a doughnut shop at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington. Established by two sisters in 1978, the stall in the Economy Market features a "Donut Robot", and is widely known for its hot, freshly made bite-sized doughnuts that are served in a paper bag. The business has been operated by Barbara Elza since c. 1989. Daily Dozen has garnered a generally positive reception and has been favorably included in several overviews of Seattle's best doughnuts.
it is very unfortunate that so many workers take only coffee and doughnuts for breakfast (if they take breakfast at all!) ...
Comparison of a diet of coffee and doughnuts with one of oatmeal and milk. Secure four or six rats of three to four weeks of age. Place two or three of the same sex in each of two cages equipped with cups for food and water. The rats in one ...(subscription required)