Dunkin' Donuts has filed for permits to open its first traditional restaurants in California. The new restaurants are planned for Downey, Long Beach, Modesto, Santa Monica and Whittier. Specific locations and anticipated opening dates will be announced later this summer, with construction scheduled to begin later in June, months ahead of schedule.

The new Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Downey and Whittier will be operated by new franchisees Danny and Coby Sonenshine, founders of Prell Restaurant Group. In Long Beach, the Dunkin' Donuts restaurant will be operated by Frontier Restaurant Group. In Santa Monica, the restaurant will be operated by Gary Haar, an existing Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisee with seven restaurants in New Jersey, and his business partner Steve Silverstein. And, in Modesto, the restaurant will be operated by Sizzling Donuts, LLC, an existing franchise group with Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Colorado, Texas and Utah.

Since opening California for franchise development in 2013, Dunkin' Donuts has executed store development agreements for nearly 200 new restaurants total to date. The company believes it can eventually have as many as 1,000 restaurants throughout the state. The company has already opened three non-traditional Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in California, including a recent Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combination location inside the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay Downtown Hotel.

"We are pleased with the solid start to our California development plans, and today's announcement of the locations of our first new traditional Dunkin' Donuts restaurants represents development that is ahead of schedule due to the strong interest of prospective franchisees and consumers across the state," said Paul Twohig, President, Dunkin' Donuts U.S. and Canada, and Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Europe and Latin America. "We are especially happy to be partnering with such experienced and passionate franchise groups as we begin opening traditional Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in California. We look forward to keeping Californians running on our brand's high-quality coffee, sandwiches and baked goods."