Dunkin’ and Jersey Mike’s open with IHOP set for later this year
This display of coffees and teas is in the new Dunkin’ at Plaza Parkway in Lexington.
{Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
A coffee and doughnut shop and a sub sandwich restaurant recently opened at the Plaza Parkway shopping center, which will also gain an IHOP restaurant later this year.
The shopping center, located at the busy intersection of I-85 and Cotton Grove Road in south Lexington, has gained several eateries in the past couple of years, including Chick-fil-A and Starbucks, as the center has become a draw for travelers on the interstate.
Dunkin’ (Donuts was dropped from the name in 2019) opened in December at1502 Cotton Grove Rd, in a space adjacent to a new Mattress Firm store and Aspen Dental practice. Some of the chain’s products had been sold in the two Speedway gas stations in Lexington but those contracts ended with the opening of the new store.
The “next generation” Dunkin’ store design, which includes a drive-thru window, is part of the new look for the 72-year-old doughnut chain that was founded in Quincy, Mass.
Ashton Terrell, manager of the Lexington location, said about 30 varieties of doughnuts and four or five types of muffins are baked fresh daily with special, seasonal-flavored items rotating into the lineup. The store sells a variety of coffees and teas as well as hot breakfast sandwiches on bagels, croissants and English muffins. Dunkin’ coffees are available to take home, including whole bean, ground and K-cups.
Dunkin’ is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and employs about 45 full and part-time workers.
“It’s been great — we’ve been really busy,” Terrell said, noting that roughly 70 percent of the business is from the drive-thru window. “We sell a lot of lattes and espresso drinks.”
The Lexington location is the ninety-fifth for Charleston, S.C.-based Coastal Franchising, Terrell said. Approximately 70 of those stores are located in North Carolina, including locations in Salisbury, High Point and Winston-Salem, with the remainder in South Carolina.
Jersey Mike’s Subs opened in November at 47 Plaza Parkway between the Dollar Tree and Coach's Neighborhood Grill and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Store manager Greg Hefner said the sub shop specializes in slicing meats, including USDA choice top round roast beef, and cheeses to order in front of customers and topping the cold subs with fresh lettuce, onions and tomatoes and “the juice,” a blend of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Cheesesteaks are also grilled to order.
This sign in the new Jersey Mike’s Subs at Plaza Parkway touts the chain’s signature sandwich dressing for cold subs. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
All subs are on white or whole wheat bread baked daily in the store. While not baked in house, gluten-free bread is offered.The store manager said business has been strong since they opened, with Mike’s Famous Philly, a cheesesteak sandwich, and the Original Italian being local favorites.
“People like that there’s a lot of meat on the Original Italian,” Hefner added. He explained the sub has ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami and pepperoni, as well as provolone cheese.
Jersey Mike's Subs, which began in 1956 as Mike's Subs in seaside Point Pleasant, N.J., has about 2,400 locations across the U.S. but this is the first in Davidson County. Find nearby locations in Clemmons, High Point and Winston-Salem.
Hefner said another store is planned to open later this year in Thomasville in the Southgate Shopping Center on Randolph St.
A new IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is scheduled to open later in 2023 at 79 Plaza Parkway, in the former Portobello NY Style Pizza & Italian Grill, which is located across from Cracker Barrel in the shopping center.
The Lexington location is owned by Dallas-based Sun Holdings, the second largest franchise company in the U.S. and headed by Guillermo Perales, president and CEO. The company’s portfolio includes not only 36 IHOPs, but also Applebee’s, Arby’s, Popeye’s, Taco Bueno and related brands totaling more than 1,700 locations.
