• The Washington Post, Thursday, September 7, 2006 12:15 PM

Dunkin' Donuts plans to open 10,000 new stores around the U.S. by 2020. It also intends to add 325 stores in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore by 2010. A similar announcement has already been made in Chicago, and several more are in the works around the country. Dunkin' Donuts currently has 4,400 stores, compared with 8,600 for the more upscale Starbucks. The company's carefully orchestrated media and ad blitz has fueled conversation about the expansion, but also leaves coffee drinkers wondering: How much more do we need? "People have been predicting that we'd hit a saturation point two years out for as long as a decade," says Bill Hulkower, a food analyst for Mintel International Group, a Chicago market-research firm. "At some point, you can't have a coffee shop for every man, woman and child." As part of the expansion, Dunkin' Donuts is modernizing its stores and increasing its food offerings, with more choices for afternoon eating. It hopes to attract business crowds and students with a wireless network and improved ambience.

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