Grand Opening of the new DD Green Achievement™ Restaurant

Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, opened its first Santa Barbara location on Tuesday, June 7 at 5 a.m. The restaurant, located at 3771 State St., offers the local community the full array of Dunkin’ Donuts’ signature menu items including fresh-brewed coffee, lattes, delicious baked goods and sandwiches.

The new location was buzzing with activity when the doors opened, and one woman from the East Coast commented “I am thrilled they are in Santa Barbara now, and I can once again enjoy the fantastic Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and donuts” she said. Members of the Santa Barbara PD stopped by for samples, and I was happy to sample a delicious breakfast croissant of egg and cheese with a delicious cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I also took some coffee home to enjoy – They sell coffee in light or dark roast in ground bags or K-cups.

To celebrate the grand opening, the first 50 guests in line received Dunkin’ Donuts travel mugs and gift cards and the first person waiting at the door waited all night and was rewarded with a $250 gift card. Additionally, samples and other giveaway items were handed to guests throughout the day. Beloved brand mascot, Cuppy, was also be onsite and available for photo opportunities in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts step-and-repeat banner.

A ceremonial ribbon cutting commemorating the grand opening, included a $1,000 check presentation to the Santa Barbara nonprofit Unity Shoppe. In alignment with The Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation’s goal to help support local efforts related to safety, hunger relief and children’s health, the restaurant provided this donation to assist the organization in delivering basic necessities to people in need while promoting a better quality of life through community support and education.

The new restaurant will serve guests seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will be operated by The Tasty Group, made up of small business owners BJ Kim, David Ahn and Dante Rizzo. With over 50 years of combined family experience with the Dunkin’ brand, the franchisees plan to utilize their expertise to develop a minimum of 10 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the Santa Barbara and Ventura County markets over the coming years. Rizzo, who oversees operations for The Tasty Group, is a second generation franchisee whose family has successfully owned and operated Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the New England region since 1964. Since the age of 15, Rizzo has been working in his family’s East Coast locations and will use this experience as he plays a role in expanding Dunkin’ Donuts in California. “We are so happy to be serving the people of Santa Barbara” said franchisee Dante Rizzo.

“Being a part of Dunkin’ Donuts’ efforts to enter and grow on the West Coast is a passion of ours and we are pleased to bring the first Santa Barbara location to local residents and guests,” said David Ahn, franchisee. “We are confident the fast-and-friendly service Dunkin’ Donuts is known for will be well-received by the community and we are excited to provide Santa Barbara with its morning coffee, afternoon pick-me-up and nighttime treats!”

The Santa Barbara location is a part of the DD Green™ Achievement initiative, a green building certification program designed by Dunkin’ Donuts to help franchisees create new, sustainable and energy-efficient restaurants. Features include atmospheric LED lights, high-performance windows and low-flow faucets. For additional information visit: www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/DunkinSoCal) for real time updates.

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Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 10 years running. The company has more than 11,800 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since 1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll’s Life Bites News, and does travel and food reporting on local radio/TV, she also contributes to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle publications, and is a member of IFWTWA and NATJA. Contact her at writebc@aol.com.