HispanicBusiness

Dunkin' Donuts said it is expanding its roster of stores to Southern California.

The Canton-based company is specifically recruiting multi-unit franchisees for Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties and expects restaurants in these markets to start opening in 2015.

Dunkin' added it is also interested in identifying qualified food service operators for a wide range of non-traditional venues, including colleges and universities, casinos, military bases, supermarkets, airports and travel centers.

The company said it opened 291 net new locations in the United States alone last year, a net new unit growth rate of 4 percent. Dunkin' plans to open between 330 and 360 net new restaurants in the United States with growth coming from both new and existing markets in 2013.

"In addition to California, we believe we have incredible domestic growth opportunities for Dunkin' Donuts, both east and west of the Mississippi," said Dunkin' Brands CEO Nigel Travis. "On a global basis, we remain committed to our long-term development goal, which calls for us to accelerate to approximately a 5 percent net new annual development rate for Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins combined."