Dunkin' to take over former Sheetz site
SLIPPERY ROCK — A vacancy has been filled along Main Street as Dunkin' is set to replace the former Sheetz at 304 S. Main St. in the borough.
“It was just a perfect fit for us,” said Anthony Braun, CEO and CFO of the Heartland Restaurant Group of Forest Hills, Pa. “There's a very nice community that we're excited to serve.”
The group owns two other locations in Butler featuring the newly rebranded coffee company, formerly Dunkin' Donuts.
Braun said the focus will be more on drinks moving forward, which he believes will work well in the Slippery Rock community.
Braun said the Slippery Rock location will look and function much like the Butler locations, except it will not have a drive-through.
“We would love to have a drive-in restaurant, but it just wasn't in the cards,” Braun said.
Despite the lack of a drive-through, Braun said plans are extensive for the new location.
“It's designed as a sit-down restaurant,” he said. “It's going to be a massive reinvestment.”
Like its Butler counterparts, the Slippery Rock location will seat around 40 inside, have an outdoor patio with extra seating and a door that can blend the two during good weather.
Braun said he also anticipates a good relationship with Slippery Rock University and its students. He said he has received a lot of feedback and interest from students.
He said similar restaurants near Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University have done well.
Braun said the group has been working with the borough to approve building plans, and he expects demolition will begin soon.
“We're really hoping to be open for the second semester,” Braun said.
