News

Dunkin’ Donuts to open traditional locations in California months ahead of schedule

June 10, 2014

Dunkin' Donuts announced today that the company has filed permits to open its first traditional restaurants in California. The new restaurants are planned for Downey, Long Beach, Modesto, Santa Monica and Whittier. Specific locations and anticipated dates will be announced later this summer, with construction scheduled to begin later in June, which is months ahead of the initial schedule, the company said in a news release.

The new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in Downey and Whittier will be operated by new franchisees Danny and Coby Sonenshine, founders of Prell Restaurant Group. In Long Beach, the Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant will be operated by Frontier Restaurant Group. In Santa Monica, the restaurant will be operated by Gary Haar, an existing Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisee with seven restaurants in New Jersey, and his business partner Steve Silverstein. And, in Modesto, the restaurant will be operated by Sizzling Donuts LLC, an existing franchise group with Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in Colorado, Texas and Utah.

Since opening California for franchise development in 2013, the company has executed store development agreements for nearly 200 new restaurants total to date. The company is aiming for about 1,000 restaurants throughout the state, and has already opened three non-traditional Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in California, including a recent Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combination location inside the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay Downtown Hotel.

“We are pleased with the solid start to our California development plans, and today’s announcement of the locations of our first new traditional Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants represents development that is ahead of schedule due to the strong interest of prospective franchisees and consumers across the state,” President Paul Twohig said in the release. “We are especially happy to be partnering with such experienced and passionate franchise groups as we begin opening traditional Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in California."

The company today also announced the signing of multiunit store development agreements with four new franchise groups to develop 54 new restaurants throughout Southern California in the coming years, which include:

• New franchise group Burton Restaurants LLC plans to develop 14 restaurants in San Diego over the coming years. Led by military veteran Tali Burton, the team includes industry veteran Robert Fox and entrepreneur Ryan Redmond. Their first restaurant is expected to open in 2016.
• Mike Stout and Neal Wichard, leaders of a new franchise group, will develop 16 restaurants in Northern San Diego and Southern Inland Empire over the coming years. Their first restaurant is planned to open in 2015.
• Good Treats LLC, a new franchise group led by Bjorn Bayley and Johnny Andersen, will develop 14 restaurants throughout Glendale, Burbank and Santa Clarita Valley over the coming years. Their first restaurant is planned to open in 2016.
• The Tasty Group LLC, whose principals include local restaurateurs and developers David Ahn and BJ Kim, existing franchisee Dante Rizzo, and Frank Giardina, plans to develop two restaurants in Santa Barbara and eight restaurants throughout Ventura County over the coming years, with the first restaurant expected to open in 2016.

Franchise opportunities for Dunkin’ Donuts still remain available throughout California in Fresno, Bakersfield and Santa Barbara, Northern California, and portions of Southern California.