Madison to get Dunkin' Donuts in 2011

Already stirring up some Internet gossip that tells us more about Madison than it does about the breakfast-to-go industry, Dunkin' Donuts—an international food chain specializing in sweet fried dough and watery but somehow bearable coffee—dropped a press release today announcing that it plans to open eight locations in the area, starting next year and going on through 2014. A suit quoted in the release (you've gotta love these things, you really do), says that "Dunkin' Donuts is proud to energize Americans and keep the honest, hard-working, value-driven people of this country running every day. Our recent and ongoing menu enhancements meet the needs of today's on-the-go consumers, moving Dunkin' Donuts beyond breakfast with high-quality food and beverage items available all day." You'd think the fast-food industry had forgotten Madison—we don't have a national doughnut chain, and for some reason we're still permitted to enjoy a Schlotzsky's—but then again we do pretty well in the quick-breakfast department, what with local outlets like Greenbush Bakery (1305 Regent St., 608-257-1151), Gotham Bagels (112 E. Mifflin St., 608-467-7642; 702 S. Park St., 608-467-7833), and hometown coffee roasters like Ancora and Just Coffee. Still, even The A.V. Club anticipates a brief Dunkin's honeymoon, not unlike the media sensation that resulted when Sioux City, Iowa, got its first Olive Garden in 2006.