When it comes to national brand coffee shops, those in the Sunflower State prefer Starbucks over Dunkin’ Donuts, and it’s not that close.
Using data from Google Trends, StarbMag, and VinePair, BetKansas.com took a break from Kansas sports betting coverage and determined if each state preferred Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. BetKansas.com found the number of Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts locations per 100,000 people and the search interest for “Starbucks near me” and “Dunkin’ Donuts near me” to create a weighted scoring system.
Favorite Coffee Brand in Kansas
Starbucks Serves KU Campus
In Kansas, there are 3.18 Starbucks stores per 100,000 people thanks to a total of 94 locations around the state. That leads to a search interest of 84% for “Starbucks near me” compared to just 16% searching for Dunkin’ Donuts, which only has 33 stores, or 1.11 stores per 100,000 people, by comparison. Starbucks is almost as big a fan favorite in Kansas as the Chiefs Super Bowl odds.
One way Starbucks’ popularity shows among Kansans is at the University of Kansas. In 2020, the university replaced all of its on-campus coffee shop locations with Starbucks. The previous contract had been with Kansas City, Missouri-based Roasterie. According to an article in the University Daily Kansan, Roasterie changed its business model to include bottled drinks, and that conflicted with the school’s deal with Pepsi.
Not unlike in many other locations around the country, Starbucks stepped into the void and became the coffee drink of choice.
Author
Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He currently runs the Student Media Department at Baylor University.
