Apr 19, 2015 4 min read

Doughnuts are enticing, with or without icing. Doughnuts are great, especially six or eight. Doughnuts are guilty pleasure, an international treasure.

Doughnuts inspire Seuss-like prose because they appeal to the sliver of kid that endures in everyone. They are deep-fried, fat-filled cholesterol bombs that ignite countless battles of the bulge, threaten cardiac well-being and ruin wardrobes.

Ah, but they are wonderful. There is no such thing as a bad doughnut – different quality levels, but never bad. Even the boxed varieties in grocery stores are palatable to very good.

The temptation is to walk into a shop, order one of each and start dieting tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the week after.

I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, but a lifelong lover of these delicacies covered with sugar or icing, filled with lemon or jelly, adorned by sprinkles. My willpower is strong, but sometimes, the doughnut is irresistible.

It certainly is versatile. What other food can be a treat or a meal?

The reason for this sweet rant is Dunkin’ Donuts is returning to Washington County – and perhaps with a vengeance.

A shop is targeted to open May 4 in Canonsburg, on Cavasina Drive, where Long John Silver’s seafood previously operated. Then a legal notice in the Observer-Reporter April 6 virtually announced that Dunkin’ is bound for South Strabane Township, near the intersection of Murtland Avenue and Raymond Boulevard. The ad said Heartland Restaurant Group of Pittsburgh, owner of Dunkin’ franchises in Southwestern Pennsylvania, will participate in a hearing at 7 tonight before the township zoning hearing board on variance requests for that site.

Also two weeks ago, reporter Suzanne Elliott of The Almanac tweeted that Dunkin’ is looking at the current Eat ‘n Park site in Peters Township. (Eat ‘n Park will relocate a quarter-mile north on Route 19 later this year.)

Although the Murtland project is in the earliest stages, far from completion, this is a positive for doughnut fans in general and Dunkin’ fans in particular. Except for one thing . . . at some point in that area, it will be doughnuts, doughnuts everywhere.

Donut Connection, essentially, will be across Murtland from Dunkin’. Krispy Kreme will be up the hill, in Trinity Point. Joe’s Bakery – venerable Joe’s – will be three-quarters of a mile away, in downtown Washington. Krency’s will be down a little farther.

All of them are great, by the way, buttressing the contention that there are no bad doughnuts.

This takes on the appearance of a Doughnut War, a Holey War waged at the intersection of Washington Road and I-70. But that probably is not the case. Doughnut demand likely will continue to outstrip supply – here and almost anywhere – regardless of how many shops launch. Society is enamored of the sweet things, meaning these competing shops probably will coexist easily and eventually serve grandchildren of today’s millennials,

It’s similar to Peters Township and its endless array of pizza restaurants, all of which appear to be taking care of business. People are passionate about pies as well.

Doughnuts and pizza … what a nutrition-conscious world.

To their credit, Donut Connection, Dunkin’ and similar chains, like Tim Hortons off Racetrack Road, also offer “healthier” alternatives to doughnuts: sandwiches, muffins, bagels and such. They also have coffee – my lifeline – and various other drinks.

Give me the doughnuts, though.

Heartland has been proactive in the region. It owns 35 Dunkin’ locations in Southwestern Pennsylvania and plans to open a 36th this week in Weirton, W.Va. Washington County will get at least one other and Mike Zappone, Heartland’s marketing and guest relations manager, said Greene County is a possibility.

His Strip District-based firm also is pursuing an interesting marketing strategy, whereby Heartland and a partner scout out spots where they could build a small shopping center, anchored by a Dunkin’ restaurant, then lease space to other businesses.

This is an ambitious venture, but why not? Doughnuts are hot stuff, whether or not they’re just out of the fryer. And they very well could be picking up steam.

Rick Shrum is business writer for the Observer-Reporter.