New Long Beach Dunkin’ Donuts draws a crowd

[Erik Sine]

Pretty cool.

Came across this story to a beautiful Neon sign that was was posted here during the production in a thread about the rise of Neon back in the electric sign industry.

New Long Beach Dunkin’ Donuts draws a crowd
http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20141209/new-long-beach-dunkin-donuts-draws-a-crowd

LONG BEACH>> Dunkin’ Donuts return to California continued Tuesday morning as dozens awoke before dawn to line up outside the chain’s new store to either taste an old favorite or find out what all the fuss is about.

“They go back all the way to my early childhood,” said Glenn Ferdinand, 49, of Long Beach. “My mom worked at Dunkin’ Donuts when I was a kid. Dunkin’ Donuts is part of my life.”

Ferdinand grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, and dressed for the occasion of the new store’s opening in a pullover Red Sox jacket.

“This is the first stop when I travel home. This is the first stop for me,” he said while he waited for a large “regular” cup of coffee and a “honey-dipped” doughnut, which is known on this side of the country as a glazed doughnut.

Long Beach’s new Dunkin’ Donuts opened at 5 a.m. near the 7th Street-Pacific Coast Highway intersection.

In Long Beach, the doughnut chain’s opening attracted a steady stream of drive-thru and walk-in customers. Some of those who stood in line said they arrived about an hour before the store’s opening trying to become one of the first 100 customers who claimed an orange bag of “doughnut swag” that included a coffee cup and voucher for a free cup of caffeinated brew.

The first customer in line received free coffee for a year. That customer was Johnny Hoops of North Hollywood; he has also been the first customer the store’s openings in Downey and Santa Monica, company officials said.

The Long Beach spot was once home to The Original Grind, and to the relief of Long Beach history buffs, store operators decided to keep the old business’ giant doughnut to advertise its wares.

Franchisee Dan Almquist joked that he had to divert money that he could have otherwise saved for one of his children’s education to pay for the sign’s restoration.

“It was a few bucks. It was a six-figure number,” Almquist said, noting that the restoration required a considerable amount of new materials.

The sign makes the Long Beach shop unique among Dunkin’ Donuts establishments, and not just the few that have opened in California. Company public relations manager Lindsay Harrington said the 7th Street store is the only Dunkin’ Donuts in the country that has such an iconic, large doughnut sign outside its doors.

The Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Donuts has thus far only established a minimal presence in the Golden State. After a long absence from California, the chain opened the first of a new wave of stand-alone stores in August in the Central Valley city of Modesto.

Dunkin’ Donuts followed that move up with a focus on Southern California. Santa Monica welcomed a Dunkin’ Donuts store in early September, and Downey saw a store arrive later that month.

As the chain expands, Long Beach could see more Dunkin’ Donuts open locally.

Almquist, who is managing partner of Newport Beach’s Frontier Real Estate Investments, said the company invested around $2 million to open the new Long Beach store and has plans for two or three more stores in the seaside city. Potential locations and future opening dates are “top secret” for now.

Besides the new standalone stores, Dunkin’ Donuts products are also for sale in California at Camp Pendleton, Barstow Station and inside the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay Downtown Hotel.

The chain has announced plans for more than 200 California stores to open in the next several years.