USA : Dunkin’ Donuts vs Starbucks

Both began as regional brands, with Dunkin’ Donuts starting in 1950 in the Northeast and Starbucks launching in 1971 in the Northwest, and both built a devoted following among locals before expanding their empires across the United States and all around the globe. Japan was the first international stop for both--Dunkin’ Donuts opened its Tokyo outpost in 1970 and Starbucks followed in 1996.

Dunkin’ Donuts now has nearly 11,000 restaurants in 33 countries (about 7,000 in the U.S.). Starbucks has 23,000 retail stores in 64 countries (13,000 of them in the U.S.; as of 6/2014). Between them, the two companies own around 60% of the country's coffee market--with Starbucks controlling an estimated 36% and DD roughly 24%.

Dunkin’ Donuts reports that it sells 1.8 billion cups of coffee annually. Starbucks chooses not to share how many cups of coffee it sells a year. Though not directly comparable, this figure is of note: according to a press release the brand issued on its recycling efforts, Starbucks beverages account for approximately 4 billion cups globally each year.