A shiny new Dunkin' Donuts location in National City will officially open its drive-thru window for business next week.
Part of the popular chain of eateries headquartered in Massachusetts, this new Dunkin’ Donuts store is slated to open on Dec. 6. It is located at 2139 East Plaza Boulevard and Interstate 805, and is highly visible from the freeway.
Boardwalk Development, Inc., signed a lease with Dunkin' Donuts to create the new 24-hour sweets shop. The site had been under construction for several months, with sweet signs of the shop's opening grabbing the attention of locals. Now, the opening date is so close, National City residents can practically taste it.
In late July, Ron Bamberger, president of Boardwalk Development, Inc., told NBC 7 the shop's proximity to the freeway is a substantial benefit and will be convenient for morning commuters who want to pop in and out of the location quickly as they grab a doughnut on their way to work.
Bamberger said the business is on the morning side of the freeway -- the side of the street where the bulk of morning rush hour traffic occurs.
"The expectations are that it will be a very busy location," said Bamberger.
According to Sonya Modi, public relations specialist from Havas Formula, the company representing the project, this store will be the second Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in San Diego County.
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She said the eatery's grand opening celebration will include free samples and giveaways for patrons, plus photo opportunities with “Cuppy,” the mascot of Dunkin’ Donuts. The first guest in the drive-thru and walk-in lines on Dec. 6 will receive $250 worth of Dunkin’ Donuts cards. The first 50 people to walk into the eatery will be gifted with a travel mug and a $2 Dunkin’ Donuts Perks card. The ribbon cutting ceremony goes down at 11 a.m. that day.
The first local Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru is in Ramona, though that location is a Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins combo store, so this National City shop will be the first freestanding local Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in San Diego County.
In late July, Modi told NBC 7 the National City location is expected to create about 100 new jobs for local residents. Bamberger said positions would include front and back-of-the-house, as well as management.
The new shop is locally owned and operated by the disabled U.S. veteran-owned business, Burton Restaurants, LLC, Modi said. Franchisee Talisin Burton and operators Gregory Dono, Daniel Gomes and Frank Garner are all retired or current members of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Burton Restaurants, LLC also owns and operates four other Dunkin' Donuts locations in San Diego: Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar and Balboa Naval Hospital, as well as a store at Embassy Suites in downtown San Diego.
Two years ago, Dunkin Donuts announced it planned to open its first traditional restaurants in California over the coming years. This plan included 14 restaurants San Diego County, with the first opening in 2016.
Modi told NBC 7 that after the National City location opens, there are two other San Diego County Dunkin’ Donuts slated to open this year: one in El Cajon and the other at Naval Air Station North Island.
Currently, San Diego County is home to these other Dunkin’ Donuts locations: an outpost at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown San Diego (601 Pacific Highway); a shop at Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Building 1 (34800 Bob Wilson Dr.); a shop at MCAS Miramar’s Building 5305; the Camp Pendleton location; and the Ramona Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins location (1410 Main St.).
Dunkin' Donuts was founded in 1950 by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts. Today, the company has a cult following as the world's leading baked goods and coffee chain, serving more than 3 million customers daily and selling 52 varieties of doughnuts.
