Dunkin’ is planning at least nine new stores across the Columbus area, with the first expected to open in late November on East Main Street near Reynoldsburg, according to reporting by Columbus Business First that was summarized by WhatNow Columbus. The expansion would deepen the coffee and doughnut chain’s footprint in Central Ohio through 2027, with additional stores planned on Polaris Parkway, on Holt Road and in Canal Winchester, plus sites in Delaware and Pataskala and three more locations that have not yet been publicly identified.
The operator behind most of the named sites is the Gilligan Company, a Cincinnati-based franchisee that already runs 12 Dunkin’ stores in the Columbus market, according to WhatNow Columbus. Gilligan also operates convenience stores, fuel stations and other quick-service restaurants, and the Columbus-area Dunkin’ plan is described in the reporting as a multi-year build-out rather than a single opening — a pace that would add several new drive-thru and storefront locations to busy suburban corridors at a time when Central Ohio continues to add residents and jobs.
According to WhatNow Columbus, the East Main Street store, at 6051 E. Main St. near Reynoldsburg, is scheduled to open in late November 2026, and a Polaris Parkway store, at 710 Polaris Parkway, is expected to open in December. A Holt Road location in Columbus, in a former White Castle building at 1617 Holt Road, is expected in February or March 2027, and a Canal Winchester location along Winchester Pike near Gender Road is planned for May 2027. The reporting notes that opening dates for some planned stores remain subject to change…