Excitement Brewing As Dunkin' Donuts Goes "green" In St. Petersburg

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World's largest coffee and baked goods chain to break ground on first LEED certified restaurant

May 22, 2008 // Franchising.com // ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Dunkin' Donuts, the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain, breaks ground today in St. Petersburg for its first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified restaurant. To commemorate the event, Dunkin' Brands Chairman and CEO Jon L. Luther and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker will host a ceremony at the construction site, located at the corner of 4th Street North and 76th Avenue North. The restaurant is projected to open in September 2008.

LEED certification is widely recognized as the standard for "green" construction in the United States. The LEED rating system sets forth specific criteria that constitute a "green" building and LEED certification provides third-party verification that the criteria have been met. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) created the LEED Green Building Rating System, a voluntary point-based rating system used to certify buildings as "green." LEED criteria are grouped into categories such as: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, as well as innovation and design process.

The first Dunkin' Donuts LEED certified restaurant is part of a greater Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment that will provide the company with a central frame of reference for organizational decisions, strategic goal setting, and behaviors that respect all of our key stakeholders, including consumers, employees, franchisees, communities, suppliers, government and the environment. "At Dunkin' Brands, our values guide everything we do," Jon Luther said. "Responsibility is one of our seven core values and that includes responsibility to the environment and the communities in which we operate. By building our first LEED certified Dunkin' Donuts restaurant in St. Petersburg, we look forward to being a vibrant part of the community and playing an important role in the daily lives of the people who live and work here. And, if we can operate in a way that reduces our environmental footprint by reinforcing our core values, we are playing a small, but very important role in making the world a better place to both work and live."

"We welcome the first LEED-certified Dunkin' Donuts in the world to St. Petersburg, the first designated Green City in Florida," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker. "I salute private industries that are joining our city to create a sustainable future for our children."

Dunkin' Donuts believes that the green building principles being incorporated into the St. Petersburg restaurant can create a prototype for green construction projects and will enhance future building models. The restaurant, which will look like the Dunkin' Donuts flagship model design, will have numerous LEED enhancements, including:

Energy-efficient insulated concrete foam walls to reduce air conditioning usage by approximately 40%

Energy-efficient lighting, including motion sensors for restrooms and offices

Water-efficient plumbing fixtures, low-flush toilets, and the usage of well water rather than potable water for all irrigation

Waste from the construction site will be diverted to the local recycling center

Identifying designated areas within the restaurant for storage/collection of recyclable materials

Meeting IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) standards for debris/dust/garbage levels during construction

"We are extremely excited to be a part of Dunkin' Donuts' first LEED certified restaurant here in St. Petersburg," said franchisee Robert Aziz. "Dunkin' Donuts is more than just a stop for something to eat and drink, it's a daily ritual for millions of people who depend on Dunkin' to get them through their day. We're not just bringing people faster, more affordable food and beverage choices - we're going to do it in a way that is environmentally friendly for the people who live and work in St. Petersburg."

The LEED certified restaurant is a significant step in Dunkin Brands' ongoing and increasing commitment to its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform, which covers four main pillars: Philanthropic, Social, Economic, and Environmental ? each pillar is associated with specific goals, including serving those who serve in our communities, embracing diversity and inclusion, sustainable development of products and materials, and volunteerism. The passion for Dunkin' Donuts coffee is almost unmatched in any category. AOL.com readers rated Dunkin' Donuts the "Best Overall Coffee" and the "Best Fast-Food Coffee". In addition, Brand Keys, a leading authority on customer loyalty, named Dunkin' Donuts the No. 1 brand for customer loyalty in the coffee and donut category for the second consecutive year. As a testament to the power of the brand and a strong set of franchisees, the company has also been ranked No. 2 in Entrepreneur magazine's 28th annual "Franchise 500."

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, today Dunkin' Donuts is the No. 1 retailer of hot and iced regular coffee-by-the-cup in America. The company sells 1.5 billion cups of coffee a year. Dunkin' Donuts is also the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin' Donuts has more than 7,900 restaurants in 30 countries worldwide. In 2007, Dunkin' Donuts' global systemwide sales were $5.3 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

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