By Evie Liu

Inspire Brands, the owner of Dunkin' and other restaurant chains, said Friday that it has confidentially filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to prepare for a potential stock market listing.

The company has not decided how many shares it plans to sell or what price range it will target. Inspire said it plans to use money raised from the IPO mainly to pay down debt and cover fees related to the offering.

Dunkin' has been publicly traded more than once -- and taken private more than once too -- as the brand lived through multiple Wall Street cycles of enthusiasm, disappointment, and reinvention.

Dunkin' Brands first entered public markets decades ago, when fast-food chains were rapidly expanding across suburban America. After a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company became part of a beverage and restaurant conglomerate, Allied Domecq.

In 2006, a consortium of investment firms bought Dunkin' from Allied Domecq for roughly $2.4 billion. Under private ownership, the company accelerated its expansion and increasingly emphasized beverages, especially coffee, beyond doughnuts.

The company returned to public markets in 2011 through an initial public offering under the ticker DNKN. The stock started trading at $19 a share, priced above the expected range. Investors liked the stock for its predictable cash flow, asset-light operations, and strong margins.

But that public life did not last long. In 2020, Inspire Brands -- the private restaurant holding company backed by Roark Capital -- agreed to buy Dunkin' Brands for about $11.3 billion including debt, once again taking Dunkin' private.

When Dunkin' stock was removed from public markets, shareholders received $106.50 a share in cash. That means the stock rose more than 460% from its IPO price over roughly nine years, excluding dividends.

The IPO market had a strong year in 2025, setting the stage for a potential blockbuster 2026. For the restaurant and food and beverage sector, however, there haven't been many public offerings in the past year as the sector struggles with slowing sales growth, if not outright decline, as consumers become more cautious with their spending.

Write to Evie Liu at evie.liu@barrons.com

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May 08, 2026 17:49 ET (21:49 GMT)

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