 | |
| Industry | retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958; 68 years ago (1958) |
| Founder | Arthur Hurand |
| Defunct | 1992; 34 years ago (1992) as chain, although individual independent franchises may still survive |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 3 remain as independent unaffiliated franchises (2013)[1] 60 (1985) at peak[2] |
Area served | Michigan |
Key people | Eugene Worden and Grover Lutz |
| Products | Donuts, coffee |
Dawn Donuts is adoughnut chain begun inJackson, Michigan. Although most of the chain was sold toDunkin' Donuts in 1991, the bakery for the company's donuts remains operational, as do two locations in the Flint area.[clarification needed]
Dawn Donuts was founded in Flint by franchise owner Arthur Hurand in 1958 with a store on Detroit Street inFlint, Michigan.[3]
In 1985, the chain unveiled a new store prototype for use at locations inside convenience stores, primarilyAmoco gas stations. At this time, the chain consisted of over 60 stores, and was owned by Arthur's son, Gary.[2]
Dunkin' Donuts announced plans to buy the chain in 1991. Most of the locations were converted to Dunkin' Donuts, but that chain also sold the right to the Dawn Donuts name toDawn Food Products, a Jackson bakery. They also allowed individual franchises to keep the Dawn Donuts name.[4] At the time of the buyout, Dawn Donuts had 59 stores in the state, and all but eight were slated to convert to Dunkin' Donuts. At the time, 23 of the stores were owned by the Hurand family. The conversion doubled Dunkin Donuts' presence in Michigan.[5] Arthur Hurand died in 2012 at age 95.[3]
One of the remaining locations in Flint (on Clio Road) was rebuilt in 2013 as a new store that was combined with aSubway while there were two other Dawn Donut locations in Genesee County that were owned by a different person.[1] The only location that remains open is in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
