Dunkin' Brands may bring "some smaller stores" to California before opening its first major franchises to the public there in more than a decade, company CEO Nigel Travis told CNBC on Thursday, after the company reported better-than-expected earnings.
"Just to give you a mini-exclusive," Travis offered in a "Squawk Box" interview, "you will possibly see some smaller stores, in some unique locations coming out before" the bigger outlets there, which are set to be ready by 2015.
(Flashback: Dunkin' Donuts return to California a 'no brainer,' said CEO)
In the second quarter, profit at Dunkin' more than doubled to 41 cents a share excluding items. That was a penny ahead of Wall Street estimates. Revenue grew 5.9 percent to $182.5 million, but was a tad shy of expectations.
Based on the company's strong quarterly performance, Travis said he feels "really good" about the overall U.S. economy.
Dunkin' Donuts shops in the U.S. saw 4 percent growth in same-store sales for the quarter, compared with expectations of 3.6 percent. "When you dissect the number, we were up in both traffic and ticket. The ticket was driven by people going to higher-price sandwiches," he added.