Dunkin’ Donuts on track for summer opening

KINGMAN – Dunkin’ Donuts, Jersey Mike’s and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt will be among five tenants occupying a new commercial development at 3535 Stockton Hill Road, the brand director for Dunkin’ Donuts in Phoenix said Thursday.

Paul Faust, who oversees about 60 Dunkin’ Donut shops in the Phoenix area, said the Kingman store is scheduled to open in July or early August, bringing one of America’s favorite donut and coffee brands to customers who’ve been clamoring for it.

“We’ve got quite a following,” Faust said. “It’s an East Coast brand. It’s in the DNA of people on the East Coast. They get up, take a shower and everyone runs through Dunkin’ Donuts in the morning.”

The Kingman location is one of several developments planned for northern Arizona, Faust said. Dunkin’ Donuts will open a shop in Lake Havasu City in June, Prescott Valley in the fall and Cottonwood early next year.

The 6,623-square-foot development is being built by ABDD IV Nyre of Ansonia, Connecticut, at an estimated cost of $508,000. Verde Building Corp. of Queen Creek is the general contractor.

Total building fee was $30,336, including $10,000 for water connection fee for a 1.5-inch meter instead of the 1-inch meter on the original plans.

Faust said there’s “no doubt” Dunkin’ Donuts will be one of the tenants, and he’s in the process of interviewing manager candidates.

“We don’t pick our sites lightly,” he said. “Havasu is a good fit. It’s got the island and permanent population. Kingman is different altogether. It has the population to support Dunkin’ Donuts, and it has heavy traffic from Flagstaff to Laughlin.

“The traffic flow is great, and it has a good employment base. When you’re in Phoenix, you’re fighting with a lot of other players. As soon we put up flyers (in Kingman, we were flooded with applications.”

Faust likes being close to Kingman Regional Medical Center and Interstate 40. Dunkin’ Donuts has a shop inside the truck stop at Blake Ranch Road east of Kingman.

Founded by Bill Rosenberg, Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first shop in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. The company now has 11,300 restaurants worldwide, including 8,500 in the United States.

They offer over 50 types of donuts and premium coffee that’s “smooth and drinkable,” Faust said. “Our coffee is a benchmark product.”