MATFIELD, Kansas-- Hardee's and Dunkin' Donuts are open for business at the Matfield Green Service Area, giving those traveling the Kansas Turnpike new food choices and a new place to stop for a break.
Mike King, Kansas Secretary of Transportation and director of the Kansas Turnpike, welcomed restaurant leadership earlier this week. "Turnpike travelers win with more food options," he said, "and so does Kansas as another new business opens its doors in our state."
Besides welcoming the restaurants, King took his turn behind the counter helping to serve customers. "It's fun seeing our customers and interacting with the employees of these two restaurants," he said, "but I think I'll keep my day job."
Rising Star, the franchise group for both Hardee's and Dunkin' Donuts, was the winning bidder earlier this year replacing McDonald's. The group began renovating the space in May to accommodate both restaurants and opened late July.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) said appreciates the increased service that GasMart USA, the fuel provider and convenience store operator at the Matfield Green Service Area, provided to travelers during the construction.
"Kansas travelers are really welcoming us. The Matfield Green Hardee's had record-breaking sales on its opening day," said Tony Parrish, Hardee's/Dunkin' Donuts vice president of operations. "We hope to have the same exciting response when we open these two brands at the Towanda Service Area later this fall."
Dunkin' Donuts has opened two locations on the Kansas Turnpike with franchisee Rosenfield Restaurants, and a third is scheduled to debut in October, the foodservice chain said in a press statement.
"Bringing Dunkin' Donuts to service plazas around the country is just one great example of how our brand is taking successful elements of our traditional locations and translating them into alternative points of distribution," said Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of franchising and business development, Dunkin' Brands. "Travelers can enjoy their favorite coffee and snacks on the road, and our franchise partners can reap the benefits of Dunkin' Donuts' flexible design options and state-of-the-art operating systems."
Dunkin' Donuts locations along the Kansas Turnpike can be found at the Topeka Service Plaza, Interstate 70 at Mile Marker 188, and the Matfield Green Service Plaza, Interstate 35 at Mile Marker 97. A third location will open in October at the Towanda Service Plaza on Interstate 35 at Mile Marker 65.
Rosenfield Restaurants owns and operates these locations, which serve Dunkin' Donuts' menu of throughout the day. These items include a range of hot and iced coffee and espresso beverages; a variety of donuts, muffins, bagels; and breakfast and bakery sandwiches.
"As a multi-concept operator, I know what I'm looking for in a franchise brand," said Steve Rosenfield, president of Rosenfield Restaurants. "Dunkin' Donuts has designed its product mix and serving systems for convenience and maximum speed of service. It was the ideal choice when looking for a restaurant brand that could best serve our customers on the go."
Dunkin' Donuts currently has more than 500 nontraditional locations, including mass transit stations, travel centers, supermarkets, college campuses and military bases.
Steve Rosenfield and Linda Nash Rosenfield currently own and operate more than 100 restaurants in nine states, including Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dunkin' Donuts. The company plans to open 10 more locations by the end of 2013. It also recently founded Barrio Culinary Concepts LLC, which will do business as Barrio Queen in Scottsdale, Arizona. Steve and Linda principally own 100% of Rosenfield Restaurants LLC; Valley Subs of Arizona, LLC; Barrio Culinary Concepts, LLC; and Summer Rain Real Estate Holdings.
Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts has more than 10,500 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2012, Dunkin' Donuts' restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $6.9 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., it is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. family of companies.
CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the company, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,347 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and 28 foreign countries and U.S. territories worldwide, including 1,391 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,951 Hardee's restaurants.
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