Customers order donuts and coffee during the grand opening of Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning.
Emphasizing creation of 100 jobs, Dunkin’ Donuts co-owner Nicole Hansen and Mayor Robert Crowell marked the official opening of the chain’s Carson City outlet on Tuesday.
It is the first of several Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and baked goods restaurants Hansen and her husband, Drew, are planning along with a third partner in their Northern Nevada franchise.
“This is just the beginning, as we are looking to open nine additional restaurants in the Northern Nevada Market in the years ahead,” said Nicole Hansen, who has Northern Nevada roots. “We are excited to bring Dunkin’ to the area.”
Her husband originally is from the state of Washington but has been here several months while the couple gets the franchise development firm off and running. He manages matters while his spouse calls herself the developer.
He said before the ceremony that ground breaking for the HT2 Franchising LLC’s second outlet was Monday at the Legends in Sparks.
The mayor, presented during the ceremony with a box containing one of his favorites in the form of a maple pastry, hailed the official opening and offered up certificates from Gov. Brian Sandoval and the city to recognize the new business. Another was presented by Terrie McNutt, chair of Carson City’s Chamber of Commerce, after the mayor expressed his joy at new jobs.
“This is a special day for Carson City and a special day for Northern Nevada,” said the mayor, labeling it “sweet” because of the 100-member crew hired for the 2,200 square foot outlet. The restaurant will be open round the clock every day and, along with coffee, other libations, donuts and other pastries, will feature free Wi-Fi. The outlet, jammed on Tuesday, has ample seating for normal crowds and also has a drive-thru window.
The mayor said he has been told this is the first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in the region, which means not only are the lights on for business here but “they’re starting to shine brighter and brighter.”
After a flag-raising, Nicole Hansen and the mayor made their remarks outside and a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held. The event was at 8 a.m., but the first customers in line both in-store and at the drive-thru window at 5 a.m. were set to receive free coffee for a year. That’s when it actually opened.
In addition, from Tuesday through Sunday all guests received or were slated to get one free medium hot or iced coffee while visiting the store.
The restaurant at 2190 E. William St., which is across from the Gold Dust West Resort and Casino near the freeway bypass entry/exit, became one of 11,000 Dunkin’ Donuts outlets worldwide. There are 7,900 of the chain’s outlets in this country and 3,100 more in 32 other nations.
Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950 and is part of the publicly-traded Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., which is on the NASDAQ exchange with the symbol DNKN. The stock closed Tuesday at $45.14.