dunkin' highland heights

As part of a new commercial outparcel development, Phillips Sekanick Architects designed the Dunkin restaurant at 6237 Wilson Mills Road in Highland Heights, Ohio, near the I-271 corridor. Anchoring one end of a multi-tenant retail and restaurant building, the project presented an unusual quick-service design challenge. Significant grade changes made a traditional drive-thru impractical, requiring Phillips Sekanick Architects to adapt the Dunkin prototype into a walk-in-only restaurant while maintaining efficient circulation, strong brand identity, and visibility from Wilson Mills Road.

Working with the developer, adjacent tenant, Dunkin representatives, and City of Highland Heights officials, Phillips Sekanick Architects created a coordinated exterior design with distinct tenant entrances and a cohesive overall character. Dunkin’s colors and signage were carefully integrated within stringent local zoning and sign requirements.

Because the location operates without a drive-thru, the interior includes expanded waiting and circulation areas to accommodate walk-in and mobile-order activity. The completed project combines quick-service restaurant architecture, prototype adaptation, commercial site planning, branded design, and multi-tenant development. Early visitors responded positively, describing the location as “very clean looking” and saying, “I love the new location.”

The project demonstrates Phillips Sekanick Architects’ experience designing Dunkin and other food-service facilities throughout Ohio, balancing national brand standards with difficult site conditions, local zoning requirements, and franchise operations.