Dunkin' Donuts' long awaited Jefferson City restaurant will go in the old Burger King location at 2207 Missouri Blvd.
Building permits filed by IAG Investment, parent company of the two Dunkin' Donuts franchises in Columbia, and approved by Jefferson City's Building Regulations Division on June 27 show about $10,000 in renovations planned inside the existing building.
Anup Thakkar, who owns the franchise in Columbia, confirmed the building permits are accurate and the planned Jefferson City location for Dunkin' Donuts. He declined to comment further.
Burger King's original Jefferson City location closed in late May, with the store's sign referring customers to Burger King's other Jefferson City location at 1923 Christy Drive. When the Christy Drive location opened in late 2015, Burger King District Manager Scott Huhn had told the News Tribune the Missouri Boulevard location would be remodeled in 2016.
Thursday afternoon crews were removing playground equipment from inside the old Burger King location. Most booths and other equipment had also been taken out of the the nearly empty building.
A long-time New Jersey resident, Thakkar opened his first Dunkin' Donuts in Columbia at 3100 S. Providence Road in May 2015. A second Dunkin' Donuts location opened last May. A third Dunkin' Donuts location in Columbia is also in the planning phases.
In February 2015, Dunkin' Donuts announced plans by Thakkar and partners Ramesh Patel and Prashant Patel to open two stores in Columbia and one in Jefferson City, according to a news release from the time.
Both Columbia locations are combination Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins.