We don’t normally review many books here on the site. But we got sent a review copy of Dunk’d: A True Story of how Big Money is Corrupting the Franchising Industry by Irwin Barkan. Mr. Barkan is a New England businessman and former franchisee of Dunkin Donuts. Since Dunkin Donuts makes more money off of coffee than any other product, this review is perfect for our site.
Mr. Barkan goes into great detail explaining his struggles within the Dunkin Donut family. He feels that the company has made it their goal to push around franchisee owners until every last possible dime is dragged out of their pockets. The company has seemed to stray from its humble beginnings under founder William Rosenberg
I enjoyed the book very much. Normally I would question if Mr. Barkan’s accounts were just one side of the story. But having done some research, it seems pretty obvious that although many franchised companies have difficult relationship with franchisees, Dunkin Donuts has a history of some of the most dramatic legal struggles. Dunkin Donuts has had more legal issues with franchisees that most franchised companies.
I would still like to see an account from the Dunkin Donut side of the story. But that is unlikely, at best.
Mr. Barkan’s own legal fight ended in defeat. I think he feels that this book will clear the air and put back some good word on his name. I feel that it has done that and more. Mr. Barkan also travels to business shows, appears on TV and Radio programs and writes for blogs and websites about his ordeals.
The book is relatively short and is worth a read. Mr. Barkan handles the complex legal languages with ease and make it easy for non-lawyers to understand.
