CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Dunkin' Donuts said that existing franchisee, Coastal Franchising LLC, has partnered with Hess Corp. to own and operate Dunkin' Donuts self-serve restaurants in 10 Hess locations in the greater Charleston, S.C., area. In 2007, Coastal Franchising acquired four Dunkin' Donuts franchises in Charleston and has since added five more restaurants to its portfolio. With this announcement, it will own the Dunkin' Donuts self-serves at Hess locations and nine standalone Dunkin' Donuts restaurants.
The first two Hess self-service units, located in North Charleston and Summerville, will both open on Nov. 9, with the remaining eight self-serve units scheduled to open by mid-December in Charleston (2), Ladson (2), North Charleston (3) and Goose Creek.
"As existing Dunkin' Donuts franchisees, George Ross and his team possess a wealth of knowledge on the brand, and we are thrilled they are expanding their network in Charleston," said Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of development for Dunkin' Brands. "The opening of these new locations is a great opportunity to expand the reach of the Dunkin' Donuts brand, while offering Charleston's on-the-go consumers a convenient place to enjoy high-quality coffee and baked goods."
To celebrate the grand openings, each restaurant will offer guests free product samplings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the first four weeks of operation. All 10 restaurants will be open seven days a week and offer a limited self-serve menu of Dunkin' Donuts' internationally recognized coffee, donuts and bakery goods.
"Dunkin' Donuts is one of the world's leading brands, and it has also become a favorite in Charleston," said George Ross, CEO of Coastal Franchising. "We are thrilled to bring Dunkin' Donuts' high-quality products to a new foodservice venue in the region, and hope to become a popular destination for guests amidst their daily routines and busy travel schedules."
Dunkin' Donuts offers flexible concepts for any real-estate format including freestanding restaurants, end caps, in-line sites, gasoline and convenience, travel plazas, universities, as well as other retail environments.
"We are thrilled at the opportunity to provide greater value to our customers in Charleston by offering an outstanding brand such as Dunkin' Donuts," said Joe Novack, Suneast regional director for Hess Corp. "We see this is an important step in our commitment to delivering a great experience for our customers and continuing to grow our brand."
New York City-based Hess is a global integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, production, purchase, transportation and sale of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the production and sale of refined petroleum products, natural gas and electricity. Hess is one of the leading independent gasoline-convenience retailers on the East Coast with more than 1,360 stations and c-stores in 18 states including 65 Hess-branded locations in South Carolina.
Dunkin' Donuts offers an all-day menu including iced coffee, flavored coffees, lattes, Dunkin' Donuts K-Cup Packs, Coolatta frozen drinks, muffins, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and a DDSMART menu featuring "better-for-you" items. The company has more than 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2011, Dunkin' Donuts' restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $6.4 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., it is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. family of companies.
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