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By Kristy Eppley Rupon [email protected] Dunkin’ Donuts has found a sweet spot in the Midlands. The purveyor of cakey doughnuts and fresh coffee, which traditionally has had a low-key presence in the area, is opening a rash of new stores from Lexington to Northeast Richland. “We’re thrilled to be there in the community,” said Peter Marrinan, president and chief executive of franchisee TBG Food Acquisition Corp., a subsidiary of New York-based private equity firm the Beekman Group. “Columbia is a really lovely place, and we’ve found a really warm reception.” Here’s what the brand has planned: A new store in a former bank building on Devine Street at Millwood Avenue, across from Dreher High School, will open in the first quarter of next year.

• A store opened on South Lake Drive in Lexington a couple of weeks ago.
• At the end of this month, a store with a drive-through window will open in the BP station on Blythewood Road in Blythewood.
• The franchisee also is about to start construction of a new store in Sumter.

Last year, Dunkin’ opened a store on high-traffic Clemson Road. “There are others that we are working diligently on,” Marrinan said, adding negotiations are continuing for those sites. The activity puts the Dunkin’ franchisee ahead of a schedule it announced two years ago. Marrinan said then his group would open eight new locations in the Midlands by the end of 2016. In addition to doughnuts and coffee, the stores sells frozen and iced drinks, and baked goods and breakfast items, including bagels, muffins and hash browns. About TBG Food Acquisition Corp. TBG Food Acquisition Corp. (“TBG FAC”) is a private-equity backed platform company dedicated to acquiring and growing franchise locations of highly recognizable consumer brands in the quick service restaurant industry. TBG FAC currently operates over twenty five Dunkin’ Brands locations and has exclusive store development agreements to open an additional twenty stores.