WORCESTER, Mass. - A popular speciality donut shop is opening a new location in Worcester.
Rocco's Doughnut Company will be opening at 947 West Boylston Street in Worcester early next year. The new Worcester shop will be Rocco's third location in Central Massachusetts opened in the past four years. Their first shop in Millbury opened in 2018, followed by the larger Westborough shop in 2019.
In an exclusive interview with Spectrum News 1 on Thursday, Rocco's Doughnut Co. owner Joe Astrella said, "Rocco's is coming to Worcester. My hometown. Worcester is deep within our roots."
The namesake of the business, Joe's father, Rocco Astrella, was born in 1919 in Worcester.
Astrella says they've been toying with the idea of adding a Worcester location for about two years, but have been waiting for the right spot. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it slowed the expansion plans.
"Worcester has wanted us for a long time, we've just been waiting for the right time," Astrella said.
The new location will be in the West Boylston Street plaza between Domino's Pizza and Super Cuts and across the street from Stop & Shop.
"We've been asked to come to Worcester for a long time," Astrella said. "We figured we wanted to go where we could get the northern part of Worcester, Holden, West Boylston, and other towns in the area."
Rocco's teased their Worcester location announcement on social media on Wednesday with a post that read: "Woo-Town. Coming early 2022" above an image of the seal of the City of Worcester next to the Rocco's Doughnut Co. logo.
Astrella also told Spectrum News 1 that Rocco's is going mobile in February 2022 with a customized retro 1960s camper for corporate events, birthday parties and more.
"This thing is super cool. It's being built strictly for donuts," Astrella said. "It's Rocco's on wheels."
The target date to open the Worcester location is Feb. 1, 2022. Rocco's hopes to open a fourth location in the future further east of Worcester in the Natick and Framingham area.