Dunkin' Donuts Pledges To Keep Landmark Giant Doughnut In Long Beach
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Neighbors, business owners and fans of a giant fiberglass doughnut celebrated Friday after Dunkin' Donuts promised to not take down the Long Beach landmark.
The iconic pink-frosted doughnut has been a fixture on top of the former Daily Grind coffee shop at 5590 Seventh St. in Long Beach for five decades.
But when Frontier Restaurant Group announced plans to demolish the building and take down the doughnut to make way for a new Dunkin' Doughnuts shop, Long Beach business leaders and fans of the landmark sprang into action.
A "Save The Giant Donut" Facebook page was established Tuesday and by the end of the week had 1,728 fans. Posts called for the giant doughnut to be saved and/or moved to Long Beach's "Retro Row" on 4th Street.
"Save The Giant Donut" fans were urged to attend Thursday night's Long Beach Planning Commission meeting, where planning commission members voted to shelve the discussion on the demolition of the building that houses the landmark until March after a Dunkin' Donuts representative said the chain wanted to keep the sign, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
"We understand the heritage of the donut. We don't want to be known as the guy who killed the donut," Frontier Restaurant Group's Dan Almquist said in a statement.
While Dunkin' Doughnuts has pledged to integrate the doughnut, the details still need to be ironed out, according to reports. In recent years, Dunkin' Donuts has moved away from identifying its brand as a sweets-only shop, and now serves other breakfast foods and a variety of drinks.
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