Checkers Expands with Former Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisee

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants has plans for five restaurants in Fairfield County, Conn. The first restaurant is scheduled to open in spring 2011 in Milford.

Checkers signed the multi-unit store development agreement with Kerrim Jivani, previously a Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisee with eight locations in the New York City area.  Jivani sold his Dunkin’ Donuts network in 2009, a news release said. Lynette McKee the Chief Development Officer at Checkers previously held a similar postion at Dunkin’ Brands.

Checkers in July announced a five-unit deal for the vicinity of Hartford, Conn. The rest of Connecticut, including New Haven, is still open for expansion, the news release said.

Based in Tampa, Checkers develops, owns, operates and franchises Checkers and Rally’s hamburger restaurants.

Checkers has more than 800 locations across the United States, including locations at “non-traditional” sites such as airports, universities and turnpike plazas.

Read more: Checkers expands with former Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisee Makes it His Business to Give to Maine Causes

Ed Wolak of Scarborough began at Dunkin’ Donuts more than 40 years ago and now owns 70 stores.

Stephanie Hardiman of the Portland Press Herald writes that when Ed Wolak was 16 in 1967, he was working his first job washing floors in a Manchester, N.H., Dunkin’ Donuts. He didn’t plan on sticking with it long term, particularly when he hit college and developed an allergy to flour, suffering from what he calls “baker’s asthma.”

While his business is rapidly expanding, Wolak is also a major fixture in the nonprofit sector, donating money back to the Maine communities he serves coffee to each morning.

“I think it’s somewhat of a moral obligation to give back, especially to the folks that support you every year,” Wolak said, adding that he has developed long-standing relationships with some of the charities.

“Without Ed, the place would’ve been closed,” said Tom Doherty, executive director of Scarborough’s Camp Ketcha, where Wolak serves on the board of directors and donates tens of thousands of dollars each year to support its programs.

“He stuck with it when it wasn’t really pretty to stick with it,” Doherty said. Wolak has seen the camp through a devastating fire, staff changeovers and financial difficulties, providing business insight and leadership over the past 20 years.

“He’s one of the backbones of this organization,” Doherty said.

Being a good steward and actively involved in the community is something that’s important to Wolak.

“A lot of people don’t realize we’re locally owned,” Wolak said of the Dunkin’ brand.

All of the proceeds from his Main Street, Yarmouth, store on July 15, up to $5,000, were donated to the Firefighter’s Muster event at the Yarmouth Clam Festival.

The festival had one of its best years on record, said spokesman Sheldon Perkins, partly due to a handful of generous, reliable contributors like Wolak.

He’s incredibly modest and low-key, Doherty said, and doesn’t often talk about his contributions.

Now the YMCA of Cumberland County is seeing the effects of Wolak’s efforts, as all proceeds from V.I.P. mugs sold will go to the organization. Purchasing the $5 mug means free coffee fill-ups every Sunday for the rest of the year.

“Ed is very in touch with the groups he supports,” said Dana Reid, a field marketing manager at Dunkin’ who works in the Maine area. “He’s a great example of a franchisee.”

As Wolak’s business expands, it creates more opportunity for him to give back.

Last week he opened a store in Verona, N.Y., and plans to have another open its doors in the next week or two at Le Moyne College in Syracuse.

This will bring his holdings to 11 Dunkin’ Donuts in Maine, three in New Hampshire and 56 in upstate New York, as well as a donut factory. A large territory in New York including Ithaca and Syracuse is also exclusively set aside for Wolak’s development. The Maine market, he said, is already built out.

When he started with the company there were only about 250 stores. Now there’s more than 9,000. He was one of the first testers of Munchkins and was in the coffeeshop business long before there was a Starbucks on every corner.

Read More at: The Portland Press Herald

Soccer Team from Portugal Comes to Fenway Park – Carlos Andrade is Honorary Captain!

Fans of Sporting C.P. believe that Fenway Park is a fitting place for their beloved team to play since their devotion is comparable to that of Red Sox Nation.

NESN’s Jade McCarthy caught up with Sporting’s honorary captain, Carlos Andrade, a Portugal-native who is one of the largest Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners in New England. When asked to compare the Sporting’s fan base to Red Sox fans, Andrade said they were very similar.

“It’s exactly like you have here,” Andrade said. “Our football team is as big as the Red Sox here. Especially Sporting, they are always one of the top teams in the country.”

To see Andrade’s interview during the pregame, take a look at the video below.

Franchisee Announces Eight New Dunkin’ Donuts In Indiana and Michigan

Franchisee Sack of Donuts, LLC Announces Eight New Dunkin’ Donuts Franchises In South Bend, IN and Kalamazoo, MI.  They will open first location in 2011 and remainder by 2015.

Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s favorite everyday all-day stop for coffee and baked goods, announced today the signing of a multi-unit franchise store development agreement with Sack of Donuts, LLC for eight new restaurant franchises in South Bend, IN and Portage / Kalamazoo, MI.  One restaurant will open in 2011 and the remainder by 2015.  Dunkin’ Donuts’ development throughout the region is part of a steady and strategic growth strategy, which includes expanding in existing markets while entering new cities across the country to help drive the leading bakery and coffee franchise chain’s growth.

Sack of Donuts, LLC is led by brothers Mike and Andy Knapick and Dewayne White, former NFL starting defensive end for the Detroit Lions.  The local entrepreneurs also own eight Jimmy John’s sandwich franchises and a Bar Louie franchise operation spread out between the South Bend and Kalamazoo markets.

“Our team has built a strong reputation with our two current concepts and we’re very excited about adding a third operation to our portfolio and expanding Dunkin’ Donuts’ presence in South Bend, Kalamazoo and Portage,” said Mike Knapick, Managing Member, Sack of Donuts, LLC.  “We all have a strong passion and loyalty for the brand and know Dunkin’ Donuts will thrive in each of these markets.”

Read more at: Franchiseworks

NJ Woman uses Proceeds from $45m. Ponzi Scheme to Buy a Dunkin Donuts Franchise

TANYA DROBNESS reports in THE MONTCLAIR TIMES that a Montclair, NJ woman surrendered to the FBI yesterday on charges of running a $45 million real estate investment Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan announced.

Antoinette Hodgson, 58, allegedly bilked more than 20 investors in New York and New Jersey of tens of millions of dollars, allegedly telling her victims she was using their money to buy and renovate homes and sell them for high returns, prosecutors said.

However, authorities said, she allegedly used the money to repay previous investors in the pattern of a classic Ponzi scheme, according to a complaint unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court.

Authorities said Hodgson allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and spent more than $700,000 on a Dunkin Donuts franchise in Arizona, according to court papers. She also allegedly gave tens of thousands of dollars to friends and family members, according to court papers.

Between 2006 and 2009, when the solicitation allegedly occurred, Hodgson only spent approximately $6 million on residential real estate, according to court papers.

Hodgson, who is also known as “Dina” according to the complaint, was expected to appear in Manhattan federal court yesterday, authorities said.

Hodgson is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, authorities said. If convicted, then Hodgson could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of the conspiracy and wire fraud counts, authorities said.

“This case is a further reminder that whether the real estate market is up or down, innocent investors can be and will be targeted by unscrupulous fraudsters,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated.

“Antoinette Hodgson allegedly has already proven she’s a lousy gambler by losing the investor’s money in the casinos,” FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos stated. “She has now gambled with her future and faces serious charges for a plot of her own making.”

Read More at: The Montclair Times

A Family That Truly Runs on Dunkin’

Sue Andrade, a franchise operator of eleven Dunkin’ Donuts shops, speaks about how her extended family bought one store thirty five years ago and now has over seven hundred stores. In 1968 Ms. Andrade’s uncle from Portugal “came over [to the U.S.] and opened a store and brought uncles, cousins, brothers, everybody.”

Having Massachusetts stores that surround the office of her franchisor’s company, Ms. Andrade tells Fox Business that the franchisor’s employees who frequently visit her businesses “keep us on our feet and make us work that much harder to continue our standards and be the best we can be.”

DDIFO Announces Major Growth in Membership

BELLINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The DD Independent Franchise Owners Group, which represents the largest association of Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners in the U.S., has increased its membership by 55% in the last year and now represents over 2300 shops. According to DDIFO President Jim Coen, the increase brings DDIFO closer to its goal of being a nationally recognized organization.

The boost in membership was officially announced at a meeting in Chicago where over 400 Dunkin’ Donuts stores signed on as DDIFO members.

“With the addition of members from the Chicago area, DDIFO is on the right track to becoming a truly national association and one that has a significant voice with regard to protecting franchise owners’ interests,” said Asheesh Seth, a Chicago-based DDIFO board member.

“We are extremely pleased that so many shops in the Midwest market have chosen to join the DDIFO. The obvious enthusiasm exhibited by these franchise owners at our members’ meeting is a strong and welcome endorsement of the successful strategy and effectiveness of our organization,” said DDIFO Chairman Kevin McCarthy.

In addition to its ongoing membership efforts, DDIFO is also becoming more active in franchise organizations like the Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA) and the International Association of Franchisees and Dealers (IAFD). This week, Coen is attending the IAFD’s 2010 National Convention in Indianapolis.

“Organizations like IAFD and CFA provide us and other independent franchise groups the opportunity to learn from one another’s experiences, collaborate on issues and share best practices,” said Coen. As a result of our connection with IAFD and CFA, we are able to offer more industry knowledge to our members.”

DDIFO will host a meeting of Mid-Atlantic franchise owners on June 3 in Newark, NJ.

About the DDIFO

Created in 1989, the DDIFO is the largest, independent organization dedicated to protecting the business interests of its member Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees. The DDIFO seeks to communicate, educate and advocate on behalf of its members. Learn more at www.ddifo.org

Special Olympics Fundraiser: Cops On Donut Shops

If you saw police officers on top of donut shops Friday morning in Fort Wayne, Indiana you weren’t imagining it.

Watch The Video Fort Wayne Police officers visited three Dunkin’ Donuts in Fort Wayne, to raise awareness and money for the Special Olympics in Allen County.

Last year, they raised more than $1,500. Coming in 3rd in the state behind Carmel and Fishers.

They’re hoping to best them this time around, but add they’re just happy to be part of the cause.

Fort Wayne Police Officer Boyce Ballinger said, “Being able to help out the community in other ways, you know, other than just every day on the street. Just trying to raise money for kids that are trying to do their best, and we’re trying to do our best for them to be able to help them do what they do and we do what we do to help them out.”

The officers got down from the roof once the thunderstorms arrived.

Boston’s Coffee Sales Grind to Just a Trickle

An estimated 2 million Greater Boston residents are without clean drinking water and under a boil water order following the breaching of a 10-foot pipe that supplies clean water to the region.

The Boston Globe reports that as a result of the massive pipe leak that cut off clean water to two million Eastern Massachusetts residents also sharply curtailed the availability of another critical beverage: coffee.

Dunkin’ Donuts, one of the largest coffee retailers in the country, stopped serving coffee in areas affected by the water break yesterday. Customers were greeted by signs on the entrances that said: “We are not offering hot or cold coffee products until further notice.’’ Dunkin’ Donuts was pushing Coolattas, a frozen coffee drink.

And many independent retailers also cut off the flow of joe, leaving groggy brunchers yesterday searching for other sources of caffeine.

At Flour Bakery and Café in Boston’s South End, a sign on the door warned diners that no coffee was available because of the water crisis. Across Washington Street, at Code Ten, salads and coffee were both off the menu.

Amrita Bajwa, a medical student from Boston, sat outside Code Ten with a friend, sipping from a bottle of water.

“I tried to get an iced chai tea from Flour, but had to settle for something else,’’ she said.

Judith Connelly, of Malden, was staring at the sign outside the Dunkin’ Donuts on Summer Street, in downtown Boston, and said she had been “looking all day for her daily cup of coffee,’’ and had not yet found one. Her preferred shop, Starbucks, had also shut down its coffee sales in affected stores, and only offered bottled drinks and food.

There were options to be found, and different stores reached different conclusions about whether coffee is hot enough to qualify as drinkable. It is not; water must be boiled for a minute, which does not happen in a coffeemaker.

A 7-Eleven on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester was not selling fountain drinks, but was offering coffee. “It is already hot,’’ a clerk argued. But a 7-Eleven in Downtown Crossing decided otherwise, and cut off its coffee.

Aroa Fine Chocolate in the South End kept coffee on the menu. An employee said the shop used prepackaged ice and spring water for iced coffee, and relied on the fact that the hot coffee was heated.

Some consumers were taking no chances. “I think I will pass on the boiled tap water,’’ Connelly said. And Edgar Galicia, a gas station worker in Dorchester, said he skipped his morning cup of coffee because he was “worried about getting sick.’’

The coffee conundrum has become a challenge for many retailers and businesses. Roger Berkowitz, chief executive of Legal Sea Foods, said making coffee in bulk has been “the most challenging’’ issue for the chain’s restaurants, because not all prepare the drink at boiling temperatures.

“It is terrible for business,’’ said Lauren Krakauskas, an employee at Espresso Royale Caffe on Newbury Street, which shut down its espresso machines yesterday. “All we have to sell is orange juice.’’

See also: Boston Herald Customers Steaming about hard-to-find coffee

Dunkin’ Donuts Takes Florida by Storm

QSR Magazine reports that Dunkin’ Donuts announced it has signed agreements with three franchisees to develop 17 new restaurants in South Florida and Jacksonville over the next several years. Dunkin’ Donuts development throughout Florida is part of a steady and strategic growth strategy, which includes expanding in existing markets while entering new cities across the country to help drive growth.

Two restaurants will open throughout the state in 2011 with the remaining units scheduled to open by 2017. Locations targeted for development include the following:

*Ten units will be developed in the Northeast Dade, Doral-Hialeah, and South Miami regions of Miami-Dade County by MMM Franchising Group Inc., with the first restaurant opening in 2011 and the remaining nine completed by 2017. Marc Weinstein, operating partner will oversee all aspects of development.

*S. Gordon Restaurant Group, LLC, headed up by Stanley and Lenore Gordon, will open five units in Southeast Palm Beach County and Southwest Broward County. The first location is scheduled to open in 2011, and the remaining locations are scheduled to open by 2016.

*Two restaurants will be developed in Jacksonville by existing franchisee John Griffey. One location will open in 2012 and the following in 2013.

“The Sunshine State is a priority growth market for Dunkin’ Donuts in 2010, and we’re excited to expand our footprint in South Florida and Jacksonville with two new and one existing franchisees,” says Grant Benson, CF and vice president of franchising and market planning for Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. “Our secret to success is our passionate franchisees who provide a high-level of customer service to our guests everyday, and we’re confident our franchisees will cultivate lasting relationships and become an integral part of their respective Florida communities.”

Most recently, the company added six non-traditional locations along the Florida Turnpike travel plazas in addition to opening 13 locations at various airports and five units at universities throughout the state.

In addition to the development agreement mentioned above, Dunkin’ Donuts is seeking franchisees to develop restaurants in Florida, specifically in Tampa, Orlando, and Tallahassee. Opportunities also exist throughout Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Detroit, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Read more at: QSR Magazine

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