An immigrant family from Massachusetts is preserving a beloved American culinary landmark.
Brothers Victor and Octavio Carvalho are the owners of the original Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts.
It’s a bucket list destination and a favorite selfie spot for coffee and donut fans 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 second-generation members of the family entrusted with this landmark.
Victor (left) and Octavio Carvalho are the owners of the original Dunkin’ store in Quincy, Massachusetts. He took over the location in 1979 from the Rosenberg family, whose parents, immigrants from Portugal, established the first Dunkin Donuts at this location in 1950. (Courtesy of Carvalho family)
Dunkin’ Donuts was founded at this location in 1950 by Boston-area entrepreneur William Rosenberg.
Victor and Octavio’s parents, Jose and Maria, came from the Azores in 1966.
They purchased the original Dunkin’ from the Rosenberg family in 1979. Since then, it has been passed down to the Carvalho family.
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“Dunkin’ means so much to our family because it changed our lives,” said Victor Carvalho, the first of five children born in the United States.
“My parents lived the American dream and were able to pass it on to us. It has now become a passion for us.”
Dunkin’ sign in Trier, Germany. It shows the original Dunkin’ location in Quincy, Massachusetts. (Kelly J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Dunkin’ currently boasts more than 13,000 locations in 40 countries around the world.
The original is something of a tourist attraction, drawing donut and coffee lovers from all over the United States and as far away as Saudi Arabia, Carvalho said.
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The original is also an international icon. That photo is often displayed on the walls of Dunkin’ stores around the world as a tribute to that heritage.
But for people in Greater Boston and patrons of its main store on Southern Artery (Route 3A), Dunkin’ remains a local brand.
The original Dunkin’ Donuts, founded in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950, remains a roadside attraction, drawing 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 like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady, often donning Boston accents to recall the international brand’s local roots. It happens often.
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Meanwhile, Massachusetts residents remain deeply committed to Dunkin’.
There are 3,162 Dunkin’ stores in the state, according to data site ScrapeHero.com.
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That’s an impressive number: one Dunkin’ filled with coffee for every 2,200 Bay State residents.
This is arguably the state with the highest Dunkin density of any state in the Union.
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New York has more locations (4,287), but that total is just one Dunkin’ for every 4,500 residents.
The Original Dunkin’ is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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