Dunkin’ Without the ‘Donuts’ (and More Updates)

Welcome back to Morning Briefing, an almost-daily round-up of mini news bites to kick off the day.

Dunkin’ Wants to Emphasize Its Beverages

Boston’s ubiquitous doughnut-and-coffee chain — which now has locations throughout the United States and far beyond — wants it to be known that beverages are its focus, and as such, it might drop the “Donuts” from the name. The company is testing out using a shorter name, Dunkin’, at several locations, starting with a Pasadena, California storefront. It’s not quite new, though; the company has been calling itself simply Dunkin’ in more than a decade of advertising, a spokesperson noted to Nation’s Restaurant News. And at least in Boston, most people already just call it Dunkies anyway. If the rebranding goes well, it may fully roll out in mid-to-late 2018 in conjunction with a planned big redesign.

Purr Inches Even Closer to an Opening

Plans for Purr Cat Cafe (167 Chestnut Hill Ave., Brighton) first came to light in mid-2016, but owner Diane Kelly had already been working on making the cat cafe a reality since the end of 2015. There’ve been a series of hopeful opening dates, most recently August 2017, but the latest update, per Purr’s very enthusiastic Facebook page, is that there is no official opening date yet, but it “should be open in a month” — Purr now has its occupancy certificate from Boston. Today, Purr is beginning to move in over 20 cats (which are coming from Boston’s Forgotten Felines), and Kelly wants to give them time to get acclimated to their new home.

The Comedy Studio Is Leaving the Hong Kong

After more than 20 years, the Comedy Studio will leave its third-story space at the Hong Kong in Cambridge’s Harvard Square at the end of the year, reports Cambridge Day, citing rising rents and limitations with the space. The comedy club was instrumental in launching the careers of a number of comedians who have become prominent beyond Boston, including Louis C.K. and Eugene Mirman. Owner Rick Jenkins is now seeking a new space, and while he’d love to stay on the Cambridge/Somerville side of the river, everything’s “wide open,” he told Cambridge Day. “Things are far from certain in this area.”

Customizable Salads and Self-Esteem

The Boston Globe explores the “allure” of being “a salad (or burrito, or bowl, or sandwich, or stir-fry) sorcerer,” customizing one’s own fast-casual meal down to the tiniest detail. Scott Davis, who was Panera’s chief concept officer from 1987 to 2014, says that it comes down to self-esteem — customers want a dining experience that leaves them feeling validated. The Boston area is seeing an influx of restaurants along these lines, such as Sweetgreen, Dig Inn, and Honeygrow.

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