Don’t despair, Dunkin’ Donuts fans in the east metro. The company plans to make its way over here eventually.
Although the 10 Dunkin’ locations announced this week will be confined to Minneapolis and its western suburbs, deals for the rest of the Twin Cities metro are in the works, said Steve Rafferty, director of business development for Dunkin’ Brands.
“We’re in various stages of discussions with other franchise groups,” Rafferty said. “We absolutely have plans to develop throughout the metro, including the east side, in coming years.”
He expects more franchise agreements to be announced in the next few months.
Legacy Concepts, the franchise group that will operate the 10 locations announced this week, has its office in Little Canada. It plans to open its first restaurant by the end of the year.
Dunkin’ Donuts exited Minnesota a decade ago, and its last push to establish a foothold here was in 2008. It backed out after deciding it lacked logistical support for its franchisees.
Rafferty said Dunkin’ hopes to open about 50 restaurants in Minnesota initially and possibly more, as demand dictates.
“We’ll do what the market asks us to do,” he said. “Customers will help us determine that.”
Rafferty acknowledged the abundance of competing coffee shops in the Twin Cities but said that tells him “there is a strong market for the kinds of products we’ll be bringing to the metro area.”
Dunkin’ announced it was exploring opportunities in Minnesota in January 2014. The company opened its first Minnesota location in Rochester last summer. It’s also developing locations in the Duluth and Mankato areas.
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 11,300 restaurants in 36 countries worldwide.
Nick Woltman can be reached at 651-228-5189.
Follow him on Twitter at @nickwoltman.
