Canton, Mass. — Dunkin’ Donuts’ franchisees opened more than 86 new non-traditional locations across the country in 2017. The brand continues to open restaurants throughout the hotel sector, including a Great Wolf Lodge location in Bloomington, Minn., and two restaurants in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Las Vegas and Biloxi, Miss. Other notable non-traditional partnerships throughout 2017 include a three-unit deal with Price Chopper in Kansas and the opening of 12 rest stop and travel center restaurants.
“Non-traditional restaurants continue to be an integral piece of what truly keeps America running on Dunkin,’ by consistently introducing and providing our level of convenience and service to the on-the-go customer in markets nationwide,” says Chris Burr, director of non-traditional development, Dunkin’ Brands. “We’re excited about the strong growth of the non-traditional sector in 2017, from being able to provide our signature cup of coffee at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, to offering our selection of baked goods to the students on the University of Hawaii campus, we’re eager to see where 2018 will take us.”
Further expanding the Dunkin’ Donuts footprint within rest stops and travel centers, the brands franchisees opened a total of 12 travel center restaurants around the country. The company also significantly increased its partnership with Pilot Flying J Travel Centers in 2017, accounting for five of the total 12 locations open throughout the year, with a commitment for an additional 20 in 2018. These new locations expanded the brand’s portfolio to include full-service restaurants, as well as additional self-serve locations.
Dunkin’ Donuts continued to expand its partnership with Great Wolf Lodge in 2017, opening a new restaurant at its Minnesota resort in December, marking the 10th restaurant to open under a franchise agreement between Dunkin’ Donuts and Great Wolf Resorts. Additional locations are slated to debut at two new Great Wolf Lodge resorts opening this summer, one on the outskirts of Atlanta and another just outside of Chicago.
Capitalizing on the development of traditional restaurants throughout Hawaii in 2017, Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee opened its first non-traditional location at the University of Hawaii in October. Eight restaurants on college and university campuses opened during 2017, including George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y., and the second restaurant to open in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dunkin’ Donuts’ non-traditional offerings are located at a variety of different venues from airports and other mass transportation terminals, to casinos and resorts, hospitals, stadiums, grocery stores, military bases and universities. Other notable non-traditional locations that Dunkin’ Donuts opened in 2017 include:
- Chicago Midway International Airport: 5 new locations
- Price Chopper: Paola and Fort Scott, Kan.
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino: Las Vegas and Biloxi, Miss.
- Lucas Oil Stadium: Indianapolis
- Kauffman Stadium: Kansas City, Mo.
- U.S. Bank Arena: Cincinnati
- Sanford Stadium/University of Georgia: Athens, Ga.
- Florida Gulf Coast University: Fort Myers, Fla.
- Brandeis University: Waltham, Mass.
“Dunkin’ Donuts attributes much of its growth in this segment to our ability to blend opportunities in these unique venues across both our excellent traditional franchisee population as well as by working with nationally recognized non-traditional foodservice operators,” adds Burr.
Dunkin’ Donuts has been strategically expanding in contiguous markets across the country with a long term goal of having more than 18,000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the United States alone.
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 12,500 restaurants in 46 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
SOURCE: Dunkin’ Donuts