A new Dunkin' [Donuts] and Baskin-Robbins combo store is coming soon to Lawrenceville Highway near Decatur. The new donut and ice cream shop would open in place of the former Bruster's Ice Cream at 2550 Lawrenceville Highway, about a mile from I-285 and not far from Druid Hills Middle School and North DeKalb Mall. Bruster's closed this past September after about two decades in business.
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| Image courtesy of LoopNet |
A request for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) was submitted and subsequently approved by DeKalb County earlier this year. The SLUP was needed in order for the new business to make use of the existing drive-thru. Dunkin' also plans to expand and renovate the existing structure from about 1,200 to about 2,000 square feet on the approximately one acre site.
Planning documents suggest there will be limited (16) seats inside and that the new business will be open from 5AM until 10PM seven days a week.
Although many Atlanta area Dunkin' locations were built for the doughnut purveyor, the company has in several cases made use of existing structures for new locations.
Previous buildings modified for Dunkin's use in metro Atlanta include outposts on Piedmont Avenue in Piedmont Heights (onetime Burger King), Howell Mill Road on the Westside (onetime KFC) and on Roswell Road in East Cobb (onetime Donato's), among others.
ToNeTo Atlanta reported in March that another Dunkin/Baskin combo location is being proposed on Moreland Avenue in southeast Atlanta. Here, a Dunkin' franchisee is hoping to make use of an existing structure with a previously decommissioned drive-thru.
The Lawrenceville Highway location would be the second new Dunkin' in the Decatur area in recent years following the late 2017 debut of Dunkin' at the Sprouts Farmers Market anchored Decatur Crossing shopping center across from Suburban Plaza. Another Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo store opened about four miles north at 4092 Lawrenceville Highway in 2014.
Not far from the upcoming Dunkin/Baskin-Robbins combo store, a combination Jamba [Juice] and Auntie Anne's was recently proposed at Toco Hills. The new combo location, at 2941 North Druid Hills Road, would open where a Wing Stop and Tokyo Grill closed in 2017 after an extensive fire. The site, once home to a McDonald's, was completely demolished more than a year ago, which will make the requested SLUP that much more difficult to secure. (FWIW, who the heck is driving down the road with a hankering for a hot pretzel?)
While the long-term affects of the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet clear, real estate brokers we spoke to agree that a drive-thru and existing buildings already equipped with one, have already become an even more desirable feature than ever before.
Are you excited for the planned opening of a new Dunkin' + Baskin-Robbins? What is your favorite ice cream shop in metro Atlanta? What other businesses would you like to see open in the area?
Please share your thoughts below.
2 comments:
It use to be a McDonalds? When? I remember it once was a Blimpie that got sub-divided.
Dunkin and Baskin Robbins sounds good for that space. Auntie Annie's in Toco Hills is different but I like their pretzels so may go there.
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