No More Donuts at Dunkin’

According to Forbes, Dunkin' Donuts is no more -- the full name, that is. From here on out, it wants to be known as just Dunkin'.

That's easy, since we all called it that, any way.

And by picking the name that consumers were already using, Dunkin' could join KFC  in making an easy transition to calling itself something else.

On Monday, Dunkin' (don't forget, you need the apostrophe) announced that it will dropped the Donuts from its name. It's been called that since 1950, when the first Dunkin' Donuts opened in Quincy, Mass.

Dunkin' says that it wants to be on a first name basis with customers, and that the shift will officially take place in January.

That's when its signs, cups and swag will read "Dunkin'" rather than Dunkin' Donuts. Investors seem pretty happy about it, since shares of Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. have climbed since the news came out.

There are 8,500 Dunkin' stores in 41 states, and another 3,200 in 36 countries. By contrast, Starbucks has more than 27,000 stores in 75 markets, including about 7,500 in the U.S., and that doesn't include counters in grocery stores and other places where you can get Starbucks.