Two national dessert chains are joining forces for a new paired location in the Town of Vienna.
Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins have signed a lease for the 3,484-square-foot, drive-thru restaurant at 411 Maple Avenue East, commercial real estate brokerage firm KLNB announced yesterday (Monday).
This will represent a return to Vienna for Baskin Robbins, which previously had a shop in Danor Plaza at 120A Branch Road SE that closed more than a decade ago.
Dunkin’ can currently be found at the Vienna Plaza shopping mall (314 Maple Avenue West) next to Paisano’s Pizza. It’s unclear whether that shop will close once the new one opens, but a KLNB spokesperson confirmed that both franchises are owned by the same person.
A press release touted the addition of drive-thru services as “a major upgrade” for the donut chain’s local presence.
“Securing a drive-thru location aligns with Dunkin’s ongoing strategy to enhance convenience and speed of service for its customers,” said KLNB Principal Josh Weiner, who helped secure the leasing deal. “As consumer demand for quick, accessible options continues to grow, drive-thru locations have become a cornerstone of Dunkin’s commitment to meeting modern customer expectations.”
According to KLNB, drive-thru properties are “in extremely high demand” in Vienna, as eateries, banks and pharmacies compete for a limited number of options. The town’s zoning code, which tightly regulates new development, also presents a challenge.
Though Baskin Robbins has been absent from Vienna for a while, the ice cream chain still has several locations in Fairfax County, including a combined store with Dunkin’ in Tysons (8119 Watson Street). Both brands are owned by the same parent company, Inspire Brands, which also paired them at a Springfield site that opened in 2023.
Timing of opening not yet known
No timeline has been established yet for when Vienna’s new drive-thru Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins will open, but construction is slated to start at the beginning of 2026, the KLNB spokesperson says.
That means the days are numbered for the Wendy’s that has occupied 411 Maple Avenue East since at least 2006.
Wendy’s didn’t immediately return a request for comment, and an employee at the Vienna location hung up on FFXnow when asked about its possible closure.
The hamburger chain’s days in Merrifield are also reportedly numbered after Raising Cane’s recently signed a lease for its drive-thru restaurant at 3040 Gate House Road. Wendy’s has filled that location since Gatehouse Plaza was originally built in 1997.
Wendy’s hasn’t commented on when it will close its doors in Merrifield, but a Raising Cane’s spokesperson told the Washington Business Journal that the expanding chicken fingers chain hopes to open there by the last three months of 2027.
Fairfax County’s zoning director confirmed to a legal representative for Raising Cane’s on Sept. 18 that a proposal to reconfigure the Gatehouse building’s drive-thru so that two lanes merge into one “is in substantial conformance” with existing approvals for the site, meaning the change won’t require an amendment to the shopping center’s development plan.
