Dunkin’ Donuts headed to location in Canonsburg
In a few months, Canonsburg will run on Dunkin’. And so, again, will Washington County.
Dunkin’ Donuts, the iconic doughnut/coffeehouse chain, will be going into the former Long John Silver’s seafood restaurant on Cavasina Drive. It will be the first Dunkin’ in the county, where the company once had a presence.
“We’d like to open May 4,” said Mike Zappone, marketing and guest relations manager for Heartland Restaurant Group, the Pittsburgh-based owner of Dunkin’ franchises in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Weather, of course, prevented Zappone from speculating on the start of construction, but he said “design work has been done and we plan to be up and going.” Long John Silver’s closed in recent months.
Canonsburg, Zappone added, probably won’t be Dunkin’s only venture into this corner of the state.
“There’s nothing I can definitely tell you because there are no [other county] properties purchased yet. But it’s pretty likely this will be first of at least a couple in Washington County.”
And he did not discount the possibility of expanding into Greene County.
Expansion is the operative word with Pittsburgh-based Heartland. It has 40 Dunkin’ franchises in this corner of the state, extending from Butler south to Uniontown, Indiana west to Monaca. A Dunkin’ opened on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon in the past month.
The firm plans to launch its first out-of-state store this spring, in Weirton, W.Va.
Dunkin’ Brands Inc. owns Dunkin’ Donuts, which was founded in 1950 and has 11,000 restaurants in 33 countries. The Canton, Mass., parent also owns Baskin-Robbins ice cream.
This isn’t the only business climate change planned in Canonsburg. The Starbucks, also on Cavasina Drive, will be remodeled starting this spring, a standard facelift that occurs about every 10 years.
Also, an Amish furniture store may be moving into the borough. It will not be Amish Yards, which is staying on Washington Road in North Strabane Township, according to an employee there.
Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome could not be reached for comment.