Hastings, Nebraska, prepare yourself for October 8th: Dunkin’ Donuts’ grand opening! With options like warm donuts and a variety of different caffeine loaded drinks, everyone in town is sure to enjoy the new addition.
Hastings High students are especially enthused. Freshman Aubree Cress may not be able to drive quite yet, but says that she is still going to find a way to appreciate Dunkin Donuts before and after school.
“I love donuts,” Cress said. This seems to be the way a majority of students feel. Students are raving about being able to grab a quick cup of coffee on chilly days.
“We are prepared for the crazy busy weeks to come, the night before we are going to make 600 dozen donuts,” manager Lonny Ostrander said.
The famous donut shop is filling up their whole back room with donuts. Their back room will be so filled that they have to keep an outdoor storage truck for plates, cups, and eight other necessities. The donut shop’s big plan is to just get up and running, and hopefully, make it through these first few busy months.
Ostrander isn’t too worried about advertising or pulling in new customers because with trending hashtags like #freethedonut, they already have enough publicity.
The bank of Doniphan is to thank for the hashtag’s popularity. They raised question on what type of buildings could be built on the open lot. The lots initial purpose was for commercial office space, a category Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t fit under. Citizens of Hastings decided they had enough of the bank, and created their own social media movement. #Freethedonut was trending in town.
With the fall season just getting started, they plan on having seasonal drinks like famous pumpkin spice and salted caramel. A nice thing to keep in mind is that this is not just a coffee and donut shop, they offer sandwiches throughout the day; even though they’re known widely for their delicious donuts.
“We sometimes worry there isn’t enough sitting room, but out of all the Dunkin’ Donuts we trained in, this is one of the largest in Nebraska,” Ostrander said.
With little room to spare, the shop anticipates a busy drive through. They are prepared for accidents and mishaps, but hope that the traffic isn’t too bad.
To prevent this, they thought of a clever way to keep traffic moving smoothly: they have designated entryways, marked with bold signs and brightly painted arrows, and designated exits. With a total of 60 people currently hired and roughly 15 working each shift, they should have plenty of hands to keep customers coming and going.
Make sure to stop by between 6 a.m to 7 p.m to receive a famous Dunkin’ Donut.
