It started with a mango refresher in Boston.
Peter Mammas, the founder and CEO of Foodtastic, was visiting his daughter during her medical school years in Massachusetts when he began paying closer attention to a brand that had quietly become one of the most talked-about quick-service stories in North America. He tried the products one by one. The coffee first. Then the cold brews. The refreshers. The protein drinks. Then the breakfast menu.
“Their liquids are amazing,” Mammas told 6ixRetail. “Their coffee is great, their cold brews, their refreshers. I tasted their breakfast menu and realized this is better than the other coffee brand up here.”
His personal go-to sealed it. “My wife and daughter make fun of me for it,” he said, “but the mango refresher became my drink. I love the taste and I am not shy to say it.”
The personal discovery led to a direct conversation with Inspire Brands. “I called them and said we would like to bring Dunkin‘ to Canada,” Mammas said. “And we made the deal.”
Today, that deal became public. Foodtastic has signed a master franchising agreement with Inspire Brands giving the Montreal-based restaurant operator exclusive rights to develop the Dunkin’ brand nationally through both corporate and franchise-operated locations. The first Canadian Dunkin’ is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
“Bringing Dunkin’ back to Canada is a significant growth opportunity for Foodtastic and our franchise partners across the country,” Mammas said. “We are committed to growing the brand thoughtfully to meet the needs of Canadian guests and communities.”
To understand the scale of what is coming, it helps to understand the organization behind it. Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ in an $11.3 billion transaction in 2020, adding it to a portfolio that already included Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s and SONIC. In 2025, Inspire’s brands collectively generated $33.4 billion in global system sales across more than 33,300 locations worldwide, supported by 650,000 team members. It is the second largest restaurant company in the United States by system sales, behind only McDonald’s.
Dunkin’ alone generated $15.5 billion in global system sales last year from more than 14,200 locations across nearly 40 markets. In the U.S., system sales grew 5.1 percent in 2025. Internationally, Asia Pacific now contributes 25 percent of the brand’s global growth, with more than 5,000 locations across that region. South Korea is among its strongest international markets. Ninety-five percent of Dunkin’ locations worldwide are franchised, making it one of the most scalable franchise systems in the global restaurant industry. Canada has been a conspicuous gap in that map. That changes now.
“Dunkin’s international footprint continues to thrive, and we are excited to bring this iconic brand to Canada through a strong, like-minded partner,” said Michael Haley, President of International at Inspire Brands. “Foodtastic has a proven track record of successfully growing leading restaurant brands. We value the shared commitment, operational expertise, and long-term vision they bring to this partnership.”
The agreement builds on a relationship between Foodtastic and Inspire Brands that is nearly two years old. Foodtastic brought Jimmy John’s to Canada in November 2024, opening its first location in Etobicoke. That brand has since grown to roughly a dozen locations across Ontario and into western Canada, with a long-term target of 200 stores nationally. For that rollout, Foodtastic adapted the menu to include toasted sandwiches, a feature not available at U.S. locations, after identifying that Canadian customers preferred hot food. That willingness to localize without compromising the core brand is exactly the operating philosophy Inspire Brands is now extending to a much larger concept.
Foodtastic itself is a company that warrants closer examination. Founded in Montreal in 2016 by Mammas and his brother Lawrence, it began as a loose association of Quebec restaurant concepts and has grown into one of the most active restaurant operators in the country. Its portfolio today spans more than 27 brands and 1,200 locations nationally, with operations extending internationally as well. The brands range from the casual dining of Milestones and Central Social Hall to the pub segment through Fionn MacCool’s, Shoeless Joe’s and D’Arcy McGee’s, to quick service through Quesada, Pita Pit, Freshii, Noodlebox and Copper Branch, to the coffee category through Second Cup. The company reports $1 billion in annual sales and employs approximately 24,000 people across its network.
Mammas was deliberate about where Dunkin’ fits within that portfolio. “Dunkin’ is naturally going to compete with Tim Hortons and McCafe,” he said. “Second Cup is our higher-end, more espresso-based brand, closer to a Starbucks. Dunkin’ is in the day-to-day, daily drinking lane. That is where we are going to compete.”
The competitive differentiation he is counting on goes beyond price point or product. “We actually see Dunkin’ differentiating itself from somebody like Tim’s in that it is a younger, cooler brand,” Mammas said. “Its products are geared towards the younger generations. We want to win the 13 to 35 demographic, and as that demographic grows older, they will stick with Dunkin’.”
Part of that differentiation comes from the marketing infrastructure Foodtastic is plugging into as a Dunkin’ partner. “We get the advantage of all their research and development on their liquids, on all their refreshers, and also their marketing support,” Mammas said. “They work with global names like Ben Affleck, Sabrina Carpenter and Matt Damon. These are things we can build on here in Canada.”
The brand will arrive with the full Dunkin’ experience intact. Mammas confirmed Canada will launch with a complete app including mobile ordering, loyalty and rewards from day one. “Mobile ordering and loyalty are part of the DNA of Dunkin’,” he said. “We are going to launch with that.” For Canadians who already use the Dunkin’ Rewards program while travelling in the U.S., that experience will be waiting for them at home.
On the question of national identity, Mammas was pointed. “Foodtastic is a Canadian company. Our offices are in Montreal and Toronto. We bought the rights to Dunkin’ in Canada and we will operate it with franchise partners who are Canadians living in their own communities,” he said. “When you look at the competition, McDonald’s is a U.S. company and Tim Hortons is owned by Brazilians. The only truly Canadian national coffee chain is Second Cup, which Foodtastic also owns.”
In Canada, where the coffee market was valued at $23.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $34 billion by 2034, the fastest growing categories are specialty cold beverages and espresso-based drinks. That is precisely where Dunkin’ has been investing globally, and it is the gap Mammas believes exists in the Canadian market today.
Sites are already being scouted in both Toronto and Montreal simultaneously. “Whether we bring Dunkin’ back to Quebec first or open in Toronto, either market is great,” Mammas said. “You are going to see a lot of Dunkins in the GTA and the Montreal area this time next year.” He was careful to note that the actual first opening will come down to where leases are signed and permits come through first, not a predetermined preference for one city over the other.
The format strategy is focused on top-tier locations from the start. Drive-throughs in high-traffic areas, universities, airports, malls and social districts are the priority. “Being a brand that is just coming back into the country, we do not need to go to secondary locations or secondary markets,” Mammas said. “We can concentrate on the most important markets first.” Once Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are established, the rollout moves to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and into the Maritimes.
The preparation period before the first opening is expected to take approximately six months, covering franchisee recruitment, landlord negotiations, lease signings, permitting and buildouts. After that, Mammas expects the pace to accelerate quickly. “Within a year we will be doing one a week,” he said.
Foodtastic is currently opening two locations per week across its existing portfolio. Add one Dunkin’ per week and the company is targeting three new restaurant openings every single week within 12 months. “That helps the economy and helps employment,” Mammas said.
Angelo Ragas, currently Brand Leader for Quesada within the Foodtastic portfolio, has been appointed to lead Dunkin’ in Canada. Mammas nominated him specifically to oversee both Dunkin’ and Jimmy John’s, consolidating responsibility for all of Foodtastic’s Inspire Brands portfolio under a single leader.
Dunkin’ operated in Canada for decades before exiting the market in 2018 following a prolonged decline and a breakdown with its Canadian franchisee base. The brand once had more than 200 locations in Quebec alone. Mammas does not shy away from the history but is clear about what is different this time. “We have to get it right from the get-go,” he said. “That is not an option. We have the team to do it and Inspire is going to give us the support we need.”
For the industry, the Dunkin’ announcement may only be the beginning of what Foodtastic has planned for 2026. Mammas confirmed that additional brand partnerships will be announced in the coming weeks, though he stopped short of specifics. What he did share was a clear picture of where the gaps remain. “We do not have a quick-service burger concept, a pizza place, a breakfast brand or a Japanese restaurant,” he said. “There is a lot of room to grow, and as we grow we hire great leaders to run each brand as its own dedicated business.”
Each brand in the Foodtastic portfolio operates as its own entity with dedicated leadership and its own lane. Dunkin’ will be no different. The company is not building a monolith. It is building a collection of businesses that each stand on their own, held together by shared operational infrastructure, franchisee relationships and nearly a decade of experience scaling brands in the Canadian market.
In the meantime, Mammas has a brand to open, a demographic to win and a market that last saw Dunkin’ eight years ago. The sites are being scouted. The franchisees are being recruited. And somewhere in the GTA or Montreal, a Dunkin’ is coming. And when it does, there will be a mango refresher with his name on it.
Details on the first Canadian location will be announced as development progresses. Franchising inquiries can be directed to foodtastic.ca/dunkin.
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Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, The Canadian Opera Company, Starbucks Canada and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024, 2025 and 2026, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.