HOUSTON – The Donut Wars are getting hot and heavy (and sugary) in Houston, the buckle of the donut belt.
Krispy Kreme just announced it was returning to the Houston market after pulling out and closing its stores seven years ago. Dulce Restaurants reached an agreement with Krispy Kreme to open 10 new Krispy Kremes in Houston over the next five years and 15 in Dallas by 2018.
Meanwhile, Jin Hak Kim and Soo Ryung Kim have sold approximately .53 acres located at 1515 Bay Area Blvd, the southwest corner of Bay Area Blvd and Reseda, to Tweed Property Interests for the development of a Dunkin Donuts. Tween Properties has the Dunkin Donuts development rights for Southeast Houston and has opened two locations thus far. They are under construction on one additional project and hope to open this location in 2014 as their fourth store.Steve Robinson of Ardent Realty Group represented the seller in the land purchase and Jonathan Hicks of Davis Commercial represented the Dunkin Donut operator.
Of course, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, have to do battle with Shipley Do-Nuts, which has over 100 locations in the Houston area. In what the company calls “the donut belt” Shipley’s has 250 outlets in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.