DALLAS, Pa. -- Petroleum marketers and quick-service restaurant (QSR) operators Eric May, his sister Heather Bower and their father, Jay May, have been named the 2011 Dunkin' Donuts Operators of the Year--one of the company's highest distinctions–honoring them for excellence in store operations.
Eric May and Heather Bower operate six restaurants in central Pennsylvania--Tunkhannock, Wyalusing, Scranton, Kingston, Dallas and Summit. May and Bower have been Dunkin' Donuts franchisees for six years.
The Mays' Dunkin' Donuts franchises are an offshoot of the family business, said a report in The Citizen's Voice. Eric May said his grandfather bought the Penn Fern Oil Co. in 1944, and now he and Heather are the third generation to run the Dallas, Pa.-based petroleum business. In addition to being Sunoco and Gulf distributors, the Mays have 10 convenience stores throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.
"I said we needed to diversify a little bit," come up with something that could either be paired with the c-stores or be freestanding, Eric May told the newspaper.
"With a little luck and research, we ended up with Dunkin' Donuts," he said.
The Mays plan to build a new 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art bakery to further improve the business. Eric May said they bake and deliver the doughnuts "multiple times a day."
Heather's husband Jason Bower and father-in-law Joseph Bower have been in the donut business for more than 25 years, starting out as Mr. Donut franchisees and now owning Dunkin' Donuts restaurants through Bowers Donuts Inc., Pottsville, Pa.
Eric May said the family is considering opening more restaurants, but haven't picked the locations yet. "We've got a couple on the horizon right now," he said.
Eric May said they have been franchisees for only six years, the "earliest" to win the award.
"Eric and Heather are exceptional operators who consistently raise the bar and set new standards for our entire business," said Nigel Travis, Dunkin' Brands CEO and Dunkin' Donuts president. "We are proud to honor them for representing the very best of the Dunkin' Brands system."
Criteria for the award include that the franchisee sets a positive example; crew members are trained on team service and managed to deliver great guest satisfaction; franchisee has achieved a high level of compliance and proper execution of their action plans; products (bakery case, beverage cooler, coffee wall) are displayed in an ideal manner; and franchisee knows his/her business, Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson Ed Donovan told the newspaper.
"We are extremely honored to receive the 2011 Dunkin' Donuts Operators of the Year Award from Dunkin' Brands," said Eric May. "We humbly share this award with our passionate and dedicated management team and crew members who go above and beyond every day to ensure that our loyal guests have a wonderful experience in our restaurants."
With more than 16,800 points of distribution in nearly 60 countries worldwide, Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., Canton, Mass., is a leading franchisors of QSRs serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. At the end of 2011, Dunkin' Brands' nearly 100% franchised business model included more than 10,000 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and more than 6,500 Baskin-Robbins restaurants. For the full-year 2011, the company had system-wide sales of approximately $8.4 billion.
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