Dunkin’ officially celebrated the grand opening of its new Hastings location on Friday, Jan. 9, welcoming the community with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, family-friendly festivities and a special giveaway offering 100 days of free coffee to the first 100 Dunkin’ Rewards members in line.
There was doughnut decorating, face painting, samples, a Dunkin’ prize wheel and a special appearance from Dunkin’s mascot, Cuppy.
At 9 a.m., local Dunkin’ franchisees John and Jean Griffey and Brian and Beth Ramos of St. Johns Donuts were joined by community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the restaurant.
The new shop is located at 8800 W. Church St., the intersection of South Main Street and S.R. 207. The property, which occupies three parcels, was sold to the franchise by Kenneth F. DeFord Jr. for $900,000. The property was formerly the site of a gas station. It had been in the DeFord family since 1937.
When the franchisees broke ground on the new business on July 11, they presented a $10,000 check to Hastings Main Street, which works toward revitalization and economic redevelopment of the community. Friday, the Hastings Dunkin’ franchise network presented a $5,000 donation to Pie in the Sky, a local nonprofit dedicated to ending senior hunger in St. Johns County.
The new 1,600-square-foot restaurant employs 25 crew members and is open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. With Dunkin’s NextGen restaurant design, the store features a convenient drive through, modern atmosphere and innovative technologies
The restaurant is a key development in what Hastings Main Street hopes will be a renewed downtown. The roots of what has been called “The Potato Capital of Florida” go back to the 1890s when Henry Flagler enlisted his cousin, Thomas Horace Hastings, to raise vegetables there to be served in Flagler’s hotels. The community grew, eventually becoming a major agricultural hub.
But hard times fell on the city and in 2018, the municipality was dissolved.
Now, Hastings is beginning to see a kind of reawakening. A $5.75-million wastewater facility and $2.8 million in sewer upgrades have been completed. Further infrastructure improvements are planned. A new library branch is being constructed, and the former Hastings High School building is slated to become a First Coast Technical School campus. The First Baptist Church, just across the street from the new Dunkin’, is building a large community center.
With Dunkin’s NextGen restaurant design, the new store features a drive through, modern atmosphere and innovative technologies, including:
