Running on Dunkin: Fueling the digital menu board transformation for America's favorite coffee brand
At a critical phase in Dunkin’s digital transformation, I led the scalable build and deployment for a nationwide pilot across ~10 locations. Collaborating closely with Dunkin' marketing leadership and cross-functional teams, I developed requirements and systems to support digital menu board content aligned with a dynamic marketing calendar. This foundational work was essential in securing the full Dunkin' national rollout (a $50M business opportunity) and expansion across the Inspire Brands portfolio. (think: Arby's, Baskin Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Sonic)Highlights
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Led end-to-end execution of Dunkin’s nationwide digital pilot, distilling content and operational requirements, configuring scheduling and deployment systems, and managing workflows to establish a scalable digital menu board solution for future brand-wide expansion.
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Supported the strategic development of next-gen in-store experiences for Dunkin’s digital menu pilot, shaping future-facing concepts like localized menus, mobile-connected features, and interactive product selection to drive guest engagement.
Dunkin’ National Pilot
SKILLS & Subject matter
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • Requirements gathering • Pilot strategy
CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT • DATA MODELING & MANAGEMENT
overview
At a pivotal moment in Dunkin’s digital evolution, I led content operations for a multi-phased pilot involving ~10 key market locations designed to validate our scalable digital menu board system across key markets. This high-visibility initiative laid the foundation for national expansion and broader adoption across the Inspire Brands portfolio. My work included:
Mapping content requirements and building a custom data model to support targeted marketing initiatives and localization at scale
Managing and configuring screen content across pilot locations, including scheduling logic, dayparting, and promotional alignment tailored to each restaurant’s operations
Owning QA, release management, and end-to-end content deployment workflows to ensure accuracy, consistency, and performance
Building and maintaining content schedules to support a dynamic and fast-paced marketing calendar
Supporting live testing and in-store troubleshooting, collaborating closely with franchise operators and field teams to ensure a seamless guest experience
‘Wow’ factors
SKILLS & SUbject matter
feature scoping• api integration • interaction design
INNOVation strategy • Product ideation • Digital experience
overview
In parallel with the core pilot, Dunkin’ challenged our team to explore potential “wow factor” capabilities to elevate the in-store digital menu experience.
Beyond the core integration with POS (point of sale) and COD (customer order display) systems, we also explored mobile integration functionality and developed early-stage personalization features, including regionally-based suggestive sell and promotion logic, localized menu options, pull-forward/next customer promotions, and an interactive donut picker module. I supported this strategic initiative by:
Collaborating in cross-functional brainstorms to generate high-impact feature ideas aligned with Dunkin’s brand voice and guest experience goals
Distilling each concept into actionable requirements, identifying dependencies across data, creative, and technical systems
Outlining implementation pathways and feasibility considerations to guide future roadmap planning and stakeholder decision-making
This work laid the groundwork for future enhancements that could further differentiate Dunkin’s digital experience at scale.
This successful digital menu board pilot showcased the power of creative operations to drive brand-wide transformation. By building a robust content infrastructure and introducing forward-thinking “wow factor” prototypes, we not only enabled a $50M expansion across Inspire Brands but also elevated the guest experience and established a foundation for continued innovation.