With his first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant set to open Oct. 25 at 1301 Eighth St. in West Des Moines, Drew Cownie is lining up locations for three more.

“We’re inside the five yard line on two and inside the 20 yard line on one,” said Cownie, who is partners with his dad, businessman Jim Cownie, in Sip Sip Bite LLC, the company formed to operate the franchises.

In its bid to re-establish a presence in Iowa, Dunkin’ Donuts divided the state into two territories. The Cownies have western Iowa, from the Des Moines River to Adair, and north to about Fort Dodge.

The three new sites are in the metro area, but Cownie would not discuss locations until leases are signed.

The pace of opening the shops has gone a little slower than expected, Drew Cownie said. He has been a little caught off guard by the grind of finding the ideal location. He wants end spots that provide easy drive-through access. And Dunkin’ Donuts has proven to be a corporation that leans heavily on training.

“They’re very careful to make sure I don’t screw up,” he said.

Following the football analogy, chances are that only replacement referees could foul up this game plan.