New Dunkin’ in Ottawa to open this week; business will be closed during transition

Dunkin’, 2749 Columbus St., Ottawa, is closed this week as staff prepare to open a new location across the street.

The new location will be a Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins duo. The goal is to reopen by Thursday.

The doughnut and ice cream shop features a drive thru and seating area. Residents have complained on social media about the former Dunkin’ having too tight of a drive-thru area and no direct access into its parking lot. Patrons had to utilize an entrance to Kroger to get to the Dunkin’ parking lot.

The cofounder of Baskin Robbins is a Streator native. Burt Baskin is a 1931 Streator High School graduate. His family operated a clothing store in town. He eventually moved to California where he married the sister of the ice cream chain’s other cofounder, Irv Robbins. In 1945, the duo combined their ice cream shops featuring 31 flavors one for each day of the month.

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