Grand
Opening of the New
DD Green Achievement™ Restaurant
Dunkin'
Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee
and baked goods, opened its first Santa Barbara location on
Tuesday, June 7 at 5 a.m. The restaurant, located at 3771 State
St., offers the local community the full array of Dunkin' Donuts'
signature menu items including fresh-brewed coffee, lattes,
delicious baked goods and sandwiches.
Staff Filling Early Morning Orders
The
new location was buzzing with activity when the doors opened,
and one woman from the East Coast commented "I am thrilled
they are in Santa Barbara now, and I can once again enjoy the
fantastic Dunkin' Donuts coffee and donuts" she said. Members
of the Santa Barbara PD stopped by for samples, and I was happy
to sample a delicious breakfast croissant of egg and cheese
with a delicious cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I also took some
coffee home to enjoy - They sell coffee in light or dark roast
in ground bags or K-cups.
To
celebrate the grand opening, the first 50 guests in line received
Dunkin' Donuts travel mugs and gift cards and the first person
waiting at the door waited all night and was rewarded with a
$250 gift card.
Additionally,
samples and other giveaway items were handed to guests throughout
the day. Beloved brand mascot, Cuppy, was also be onsite and
available for photo opportunities in front of the Dunkin' Donuts
step-and-repeat banner.
Delicious Dunkin' Donuts
A
ceremonial ribbon cutting commemorating the grand opening, included
a $1,000 check presentation to the Santa Barbara nonprofit Unity
Shoppe. In alignment with The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins
Community Foundation's goal to help support local efforts related
to safety, hunger relief and children's health, the restaurant
provided this donation to assist the organization in delivering
basic necessities to people in need while promoting a better
quality of life through community support and education.
The
new restaurant will serve guests seven days a week from 5 a.m.
to 11 p.m. and will be operated by The Tasty Group, made up
of small business owners BJ Kim, David Ahn and Dante Rizzo.
With over 50 years of combined family experience with the Dunkin'
brand, the franchisees plan to utilize their expertise to develop
a minimum of 10 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the Santa Barbara
and Ventura County markets over the coming years. Rizzo, who
oversees operations for The Tasty Group, is a second generation
franchisee whose family has successfully owned and operated
Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the New England region since 1964.
Since the age of 15, Rizzo has been working in his family's
East Coast locations and will use this experience as he plays
a role in expanding Dunkin' Donuts in California. "We are
so happy to be serving the people of Santa Barbara" said
franchisee Dante Rizzo.
"Being
a part of Dunkin' Donuts' efforts to enter and grow on the West
Coast is a passion of ours and we are pleased to bring the first
Santa Barbara location to local residents and guests,"
said David Ahn, franchisee. "We are confident the fast-and-friendly
service Dunkin' Donuts is known for will be well-received by
the community and we are excited to provide Santa Barbara with
its morning coffee, afternoon pick-me-up and nighttime treats!"
Cuppy Dunkin' Donuts Mascot
The
Santa Barbara location is a part of the DD Green(tm) Achievement
initiative, a green building certification program designed
by Dunkin' Donuts to help franchisees create new, sustainable
and energy-efficient restaurants. Features include atmospheric
LED lights, high-performance windows and low-flow faucets.
For
additional information visit: www.DunkinDonuts.com
or follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts)
or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/DunkinSoCal)
for real time updates.
About
Dunkin' Donuts
Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day,
everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is
a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced
coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has
earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee
category by Brand Keys for 10 years running. The company has
more than 11,800 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based
in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands
Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information,
visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.