Manatee Dunkin' Donuts opens near U.S. 301 and S.R. 70

PROVIDED PHOTO

Another day, another Dunkin' in Manatee.

Dunkin' Donuts has opened its newest Manatee County location at 5259 30th St. E., just east of the Walmart Supercenter on U.S. 301 and State Road 70.

This Double D also features a Baskin-Robbins, which is the second such combo location in Manatee. The other Dunkin-Baksin is at 612 10th St. E., off of U.S. 301 in Palmetto.

The new location also offers a drive-thru in addition to its dining room, accepts mobile payments and Dunkin' Donuts Rewards.

Dunkin' maintains 10 Manatee County locations, three of which are located inside Hess gas stations. Dunkin' also plans to add full-service shops in Ellenton and on University Parkway near Tuttle Avenue.

Hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 941-243-3881.

Sacred Grounds Coffee now open in Bradenton

Colleague Kathryn Moschella swung by Sacred Grounds Coffee recently to see the new place now that the non-profit coffee house is open in Braden River Plaza.

Here's a guest post by Kathryn for a little insight on Sacred Grounds:

Sacred Grounds Coffee is located in the Braden River
Plaza in Bradenton off of SR 64. 

The coffee is high-end Italian, the atmosphere is relaxing, and if the motto lives up to its name, visitors to the Sacred Grounds Coffee House in East Manatee will experience more than just coffee.

Owned by a reverend and his wife, Bruce and Renee McEwen, who moved to Bradenton four years ago to take care of a small church, Sacred Grounds, located in the Braden River Plaza on State Road 64, is intent on becoming a community gathering place as well as the best place to get cold frappes on a hot Florida day.

“We’re more than just selling coffee. The community is what it’s all about and building relationships with people. If it can support itself doing that, that would be great. We want it  to be an outreach place for the community,” said Bruce McEwen, who hopes to build a new church eventually to replace the six-member Palmetto Church of the Nazarene that closed at the beginning of the year.

The coffee house, situated in what was once a former dry cleaner, has been totally transformed into a relaxing and hip location, with soft colored walls, comfortable chairs, tables, a fully-stocked barista bar, and a back room with board games, WiFi connection, and an acoustic setup for musical performances, open mic nights and karaoke. There’s also an outside courtyard for lounging and sipping coffee when the weather is cooler in the early morning and the late evening before the coffee house closes.

 Along with the coffee, if the conversation turns spiritual, which the name implies, the McEwens say that’s okay and they’ll embrace it.

“Our name is just a little hint, but we are a Christian-based coffee house. Having a foundation in a Christian life doesn’t restrict you to only Christian things, but we’re coming from a good place in my opinion,” said McEwen’s grandson, Tylor Stell, who is helping manage the coffee house while going to college locally.

Sacred Grounds is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. and there’s plenty of parking in the surrounding strip mall. The different types of hot and cold coffees, tea, smoothies, juices, and desserts that Sacred Grounds offers are available on their new Web site, sgcoffeehouse.com.

Contributed by Kathryn Moschella, Lakewood Ranch reporter.