ATLANTA (Diya TV) — Indian Americans hold prominent leadership positions on the board of National DCP (NDCP), the $3 billion supply chain management cooperative that serves Dunkin’ franchisees across the United States, a reflection of the community’s deep and long-standing footprint in the chain’s ownership structure.
The 2025 NDCP Board of Directors includes several Indian American officers elected by their peers. Shams Charania serves as Chairman of the Board, representing Series E from Atlanta, Georgia. With over a decade as a Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins franchisee, Charania owns 43 restaurants across the southeast and has previously served on Dunkin’s Brand Advisory Committee and as Vice Chair of the Atlanta Ad Committee.
Amish Patel serves as Vice Chairman, representing Series E. He owns 28 Dunkin’ restaurants across Palm Beach, Brevard County, and Orlando, Florida, and has been a franchisee for 17 years. He has served as Secretary, Treasurer, and chair of the Operations/IT Committee, and currently sits on Dunkin’s Regional Advisory Council.
Sanjay Jain, who served as Board Chairman from 2022 to 2024 for three consecutive terms, remains on the 2025 board. Jain owns a large network of Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and BWWGO stores in Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island, New York. He holds a degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Hartford, an MBA from Dallas Baptist University, and a Master of Commerce from the University of Rajasthan in India. He serves on Dunkin’s Brand Advisory Committee and works with its Menu Management and Development Advisory Sub-Committees.
Dipak Patel, a founding board member of National DCP, has served as Chairman four times and chaired nearly every NDCP committee. He has been a Dunkin’ franchisee since 1989 and owns 90 stores in North and Central New Jersey. His education includes bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, and a master’s degree in industrial engineering.
Dharmisth Patel, representing Series D, has been part of the franchisee community since 1992, with Dunkin’ restaurants primarily in the western suburbs of Chicago. He has previously served as Board Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
The Indian American presence at the leadership level of NDCP mirrors a much broader pattern within the Dunkin’ system. In the Midwest alone, roughly 90 percent of the region’s approximately 500 Dunkin’ stores are owned by Indian Americans and Pakistani Americans. Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi immigrants have been a significant part of the chain’s growth since its early decades of expansion.
Indian Americans often operate Dunkin’ franchises as multi-generational enterprises, pooling capital and labor, with many coming from STEM and finance backgrounds and applying data-driven approaches to managing their operations. The NDCP board structure, where members are elected by fellow franchisees in their regions, means the prominence of Indian Americans at the leadership level is a direct result of their weight of numbers and influence within the franchise owner community itself.
