Dunkin' Donuts Launches Their First Utah Outpost, More Western Units To Come

The West has finally been won over with donuts. The first ever Dunkin' Donuts opened in Salt Lake City on June 25, marking a huge milestone in the chain's long-awaited journey towards westward expansion.

"What's driving our expansion is the popularity of the brand in general, and our long-standing reputation on the East Coast," a Dunkin' field marketing manager told Consumerist, "The population is migrating West, so there's a big demand for the brand." 

This new unit is the first of 23 planned Utah Dunkin' Donuts that will open by the end of 2013 by their franchise operator Sizzling Platter LLC. Sizzling Platter, also the operator of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Sizzler, and Little Caesar's, has agreed to open the first out of 11 scheduled Dunkin' Donuts openings in Denver later this year, as well as the first 2 out of 6 new ones in El Paso, Texas. 

The Massachusetts-based bran has been encouraging the western movement for a while now, with plans to open about 5,000 new units in the next few years. Additionally, Nigel Travis announced in January that they hope to return the brand to California by 2015 since the last unit closed there in 2002, with as many as 1,000 units planned for Southern California alone.

Sizzling Platter's chief executive Ted Morton is excited about the brand's migration. "We feel it's a good fit," he said.