CANTON, Mass., April 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, announced today the signing of multi-unit store development agreements with two existing franchise groups to develop seven restaurants in Illinois over the next several years.

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The two franchise groups and their development plans include:


    --  Existing franchisees Krishna Patel and Rashimi (Sim) Patel plan to
        develop four Dunkin' Donuts locations throughout Champaign, one of which
        will be located outside of the major metropolitan area. This duo
        currently operates six Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Joliet, Romeoville,
        Plainfield, and Shorewood. Their next restaurant in Decatur is planned
        to open in Summer 2015, and the remainder by 2019.
    --  Existing franchise Asif Rajabali plans to develop three Dunkin' Donuts
        restaurants that will be located in smaller towns and communities
        outside Rockford. Rajabali currently owns and operates two Dunkin'
        Donuts restaurants in Bartlett and Elgin. His next restaurant is planned
        to open in Winter 2015, and the remainder by 2017.

Currently, there are 591 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants located throughout Illinois. The company is continuing to recruit franchisees in Quincy and throughout cities and towns outside the greater metropolitan areas of Champaign and Peoria. To help fuel growth in Illinois, special development incentives are available which include reduced royalty fees for three years and up to $5,000 in local store marketing support for timely openings.*

In an effort to keep the brand fresh and competitive, Dunkin' Donuts offers flexible concepts for any real estate format including free-standing restaurants, end caps, in-line sites, gas and convenience, travel plazas, universities, as well as other retail environments.

"Our enthusiastic and dedicated franchisees contribute to our brands' growth, which has helped solidify our position as one of the fastest growing companies by unit count in the quick-service restaurant industry," said Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of global franchising and business development, Dunkin' Brands. "We are thrilled these existing franchisees have expanded their portfolios in the Illinois market, and know these new restaurants they are developing will satisfy a growing consumer demand in the Champaign and Rockford communities."

Dunkin' Donuts' new look includes four distinct restaurant design options for franchisees, each featuring variations in layout, color schemes, graphics, textures, furniture and/or lighting. The designs enhance the current restaurant appearance, environment and layout to serve people all day long. Unlike other quick-service restaurants, Dunkin' Donuts allows franchisees to select individual elements from any of the four options, creating a restaurant design that reflects their personal tastes and preferences, and best serves their specific restaurant size and location.

Since the 1950s, Dunkin' Donuts has been a daily ritual for millions of people and has offered guests delicious food, beverages and friendly service at a great value. Dunkin' Donuts offerings include iced coffee, flavored coffees, lattes, Dunkin' Donuts K-Cup® Packs, Coolatta® frozen drinks, donuts, muffins, bagels, breakfast and bakery sandwiches, and a DDSMART® menu featuring better-for-you items.

To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).

*Details available in the Dunkin' Donuts Franchise Disclosure Document

About Dunkin' Donuts
Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for nine years running. The company has more than 11,300 restaurants in 36 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

CONTACT:
Rachel Tabacnic
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
rtabacnic@fish-consulting.com

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SOURCE Dunkin' Donuts