HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Dunkin' Donuts, absent from the Huntsville restaurant scene since 2002, will return with four locations to be built in north Huntsville over the next five years.

The company announced Tuesday that a development agreement had been reached with the Robinson family and Southern Food Services.

The first restaurant here is scheduled to open next year, with the other three to be completed by 2016.

Dunkin' Donuts, founded in 1950, was last in Huntsville in 2002 on Wynn Drive, according to listings in Huntsville city directories.

"We are excited to bring Dunkin' Donuts to northern Huntsville and play an important role in the daily lives of people who live, work and visit here," Blake Robinson, vice president of Southern Food Services, said in a release. "We have a passion and loyalty for the brand, and look forward to the opening of our restaurants in the years to come."

Dunkin' Donuts said local franchise opportunities are still available in south Huntsville, Guntersville, Decatur, Athens, Scottsboro and Muscle Shoals, among other places.

"Dunkin' Donuts is excited to expand into north Huntsville," Grant Benson, vice president of franchising and market planning for Dunkin' Brands, Inc., said in the release.

"Our secret to success is our passionate franchisees who provide a high level of customer service to our guests every day.

"We believe the Robinsons will cultivate lasting customer relationships in the northern Huntsville area and become an integral part of their communities."

Dunkin' Donuts, based in Canton, Mass., is best-known as a doughnut and coffee chain. After expanding its menu recently, Dunkin' Donuts now offers frozen and iced beverages, a full bakery assortment, breakfast sandwiches and an all-day menu that includes flatbread sandwiches, hash browns and biscuits, among other things.

Dunkin' Donuts has more than 9,700 restaurants in 31 countries. Its worldwide sales last year were $6 billion, according to the release.