Nine months after his restaurant, central
bakery and corporate headquarters were
destroyed by fire during the holiday season,
Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee Jerry Burke joined
community leaders from Saratoga County to
celebrate the opening of a new facility double
the size of the former building at 509 Route
67 in Malta.
Located on the same site of the restaurant
and bakery gutted in a pre-dawn blaze on
Dec. 19, 2013, the new, two-story building
is more than 14,000 square feet, including a
7,000-square-foot central bakery.
That bakery supplies baked goods for nearly
two dozen Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants owned
by The Burke Companies in Saratoga and
Warren counties.
“We’re proud to reopen on the same site, bigger
and better than before, just nine months
after a tragedy that could have devastated our
business,” said Jerry Burke, principal of The
Burke Companies. “We were determined to
rebuild and were able to persevere through a
lot of hard work and dedication.”
The Burke companies offered positions
at its other Dunkin’ Donuts locations to all
employees who were impacted by the fire,
several of whom are now working at the new
facility and were in attendance for Wednesday’s
celebration, he said.
The new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant is
3,500 square feet and features the brand’s
new “cappuccino blend” design scheme, including
soft seating, digital menu boards, a
flat-screen television, free Wi-Fi, USB ports,
and extra electrical outlets to enhance the
guest experience.
The new restaurant offers a complete menu
of Dunkin’ Donuts’ internationally recognized
coffees, lattes, donuts and bakery goods, and
is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Located on the second floor of the facility
is the new 3,500-square-foot corporate
headquarters of The Burke Companies, which
invested a sizable portion of its own capital
to finance the construction and expansion of
the new building, said Burke.
“The Burke Companies has been an integral
part of Saratoga County for more than three
decades,” said Todd Shimkus, president of
the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
“To open this beautiful new facility, and to do
so in such short order, is a testament to the
drive and dedication that has made The Burke
Companies a success.”
According to the Dunkin’ Brands Group,
there are more than 7,000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants
in 36 states in the U.S and more than
3,000 international restaurants in 30 additional
countries. It was founded in 1950.
Photo Courtesy Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce