WALNUT CREEK — With the enthusiasm typically reserved for long-anticipated movie premieres or new gourmet food trends, dozens of people lined up Wednesday for the arrival of a franchise well-known to the rest of the country: Dunkin’ Donuts.
People began to line up as early as 2 a.m. — three hours before the store officially opened — to get their coffee and doughnuts, according to Matt Cobo, the Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee who owns the store at 1250 Newell Ave.
Later in the morning, the crowds had not died down as media crews gathered and Walnut Creek Mayor Loella Haskew arrived for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Both East Coast transplants nostalgic for their Dunkin’ fix and native Californians eager to experience the hype stood in line patiently.
“We live down the street, and we’ve been watching this go up,” said Heidi Smutney, who brought her two children and their cousins to the opening. “I’ve never had it … but it seems like having it so close is going to make sleepovers (for my kids) so fun.”
Oakland residents Justin Vacca and Mariel Bautista arrived at 7 a.m. to get their coffee and breakfast. For both of them, Dunkin’ is a familiar brand that they are excited to see come to the Bay Area.
“I was born in the Philippines, and Dunkin’ Donuts is there, so when I found out it was coming here, I was stoked — so excited,” Bautista said.
Vacca said he used to live in Rhode Island, where Dunkin’ Donuts is a common sight on street corners, as it is in many East Coast cities.
“I’m not big on the doughnuts, but I like the coffee,” Vacca said. “And the breakfast sandwiches are great.”
Indeed, despite the doughnut-focused name, the chain’s big draw is its coffee, said franchise owner Cobo. He sees his competition not as the slew of doughnut shops and companies like Krispy Kreme in the area, but rather as coffee brands like Starbucks and the more artisan Blue Bottle or Philz Coffee that have become popular in the Bay Area.
While Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t exactly part of that trendy “third wave” of artisan coffee, people like the low prices and the variety of coffee drinks, Cobo said.
“It’s the greatest thing that has happened to Walnut Creek in a long time,” said Mark Sullivan, of Walnut Creek, who bought doughnuts and coffee with his wife, Suzanna Morrison. They came with their white, fluffy dog Teddy Roosevelt.
Fans hope the excitement is enough to help keep Dunkin’ around, as this is not the first time the chain has attempted to land in the Bay Area. In the early 1970s, a store opened in San Jose, but it has been closed for at least 15 years. The opening of the Walnut Creek store is the first Dunkin’ Donuts to open in the Bay Area since then, but it won’t be the only one.
Cobo himself has a franchise agreement to open 12 locations over the next eight years in Contra Costa County and is looking for sites in Brentwood, San Ramon, Concord and other cities. And separate franchise groups Shiva Developments and California Donut Kings LLC have planned to develop nearly 40 locations total in the Bay Area.
Vishal Shah, of California Donut Kings, will open the first of those Dunkin’ Donuts stores in Half Moon Bay in August, followed by a location in South San Francisco and additional sites throughout Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
If the enthusiasm surrounding the Walnut Creek opening is any indication of future success, Dunkin’ Donuts will fare well in the area. Even before the opening day, people were knocking on the doors of the store, hoping to get in.
Store manager Karla Lainez, who grew up in Nicaragua before moving to California and was not at all familiar with the Dunkin’ Donuts brand before Cobo introduced her to it, said she was shocked at the excitement. One couple even drove from Santa Cruz before the opening, thinking it was already open and eager to get their coffee and doughnuts.
“People have an emotional connection with Dunkin’ Donuts,” Cobo said.
A former Panera Bread franchise owner, he is no stranger to big restaurant brands, Cobo said, but he has never seen a store opening quite like this.
Contact Annie Sciacca at 925-943-8073. Follow her at Twitter.com/AnnieSciacca.
