What's the deal with Dunkin Donuts?

[aristocatz]

Dunkin Donuts were on every corner when I lived in Boston. It was definitely a cult following. I definitely had my share of D&D when I lived there. I live in a different part of the state now & we have alot of Dunkin Donuts locations out here. I tend to choose the local mom & pop coffee places now, but I'm not opposed to going to Dunkin Donuts on occasion.

As for their coffee, I like their flavored hot coffee & I also like their cold brew, which I think is only being piloted in certain areas. I used to like their breakfast sandwiches, until they changed the egg. Not a huge fan of donuts, but I am a fan of their croissant donut.

 

[Pooh2]

We have 6 Dunkin's within a 5 mile radius of our house. I enjoy their coffee but would never buy their donuts. Our local supermarket has much larger and fresher donuts with tons more filling.
It amazes me how many people will sit in a very long line of cars to get their coffee on the way to work.

 

[Tattylou]

I live about 10 min south of Boston and there is a Dunkin Donuts like every half mile. It's ridiculous. I don't like their coffee. It used to be better as did their donuts, muffins, etc....back when they were baked in store as others have said. I'm not sure why the coffee is so hit or miss, but it can be iffy. There's a small local chain near us called Marylou's. I will drive by 2 DD on my way there, lol....much much better coffee than DD.

 

[goofyernmost]

Near us that I have been too..Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, Daylight Donuts, LaMar's Donuts (founded in KC,MO but now found in 5 states total of 25 locations)

Step-father-in-law is from just outside of Boston he prefers Dunkin' Donuts. I don't mind Dunkin' Donuts but prefer other companies to them.

One location of Krispy Kreme was right by my high school so everyday I would drive in the morning and smell the fresh donuts. Daylight Donuts is good and LaMar's Donuts is just devine. There is also a chain place that has Kolachies called the Kolache Factory which I used to go to a lot when I lived really close to a store location. They aren't quite the same as donuts but similarish.

I live right here in North Carolina just a little ways away from the main office of Krispy Kreme Donuts. In my immediate vicinity, Raleigh, I know of only two Krispy Kreme Stores within 25 miles. They are sold mostly prepackaged in grocery stores, allegedly fresh, but, I have yet to see a KK delivery truck anywhere. There are quite a few Dunkin Donuts around though. I never cared for Krispy Kreme's because the glaze makes them very messy and I hate messy food.

 

[Dentam]

Never been to a Dunkin Donuts - I go to Lamar's, which has very good freshly made donuts in a wide range of flavors. We also have a Voodoo Donuts near my house, but their donuts are mostly odd combos with stuff like cereal or kool aid powder on top of them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I live right here in North Carolina just a little ways away from the main office of Krispy Kreme Donuts. In my immediate vicinity, Raleigh, I know of only two Krispy Kreme Stores within 25 miles. They are sold mostly prepackaged in grocery stores, allegedly fresh, but, I have yet to see a KK delivery truck anywhere. There are quite a few Dunkin Donuts around though. I never cared for Krispy Kreme's because the glaze makes them very messy and I hate messy food.

The Krispy Kreme near me did it fresh and according to the google reviews and pics they still do at least as of 2 months ago:



One of my fav pasttimes with my stepmom was to go see them made at that location I was always facinated with how they make them and loved watching them move along the conveyor belt. Yes I do agree the glaze it messy. I'm not fond of messy food either but I do like their glazed donuts as a whole.

For the most part for office parties/events,etc people will get Krispy Kreme or LaMar's. But when someone does bring LaMar's it's like "ohhhh yeahhh"

ETA: Krispy Kreme is sold a lot here in grocery stores for sure. Now if you got them from grocery stores I'm not positive if they would come from the local locations that make them fresh or if they come not fresh. I'm not sure on that part.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We have a Dunkin Donuts not too far from us. We really don't go there much. We dont like them and they are getting expensive.

Our favorite donuts are Randy's Donuts from Los Angeles. When dh goes on a business trip he always brings some back if he has time to get them. They are amazing!! Last time he just managed to get in the door before a big tour bus group came in.

 

[ols386]

Haven't been to Dunkin Donuts in years. My son loved their donuts when he was little. I really liked their coffee.

 

[tcufrog]

The area where I live is all about the locally owned donut shops, many of whom are owned by Asian families. The service is friendly, the donuts are delicious, and the staff will sometimes throw in a free donut or free donut holes if you're a regular. They decorate and shape the glazed donuts in seasonal motifs such as bats and pumpkins at Halloween and Christmas trees and snowmen now. They'll even decorate a set of donuts for a party or birthday. Here's an example:

Sorry that the photo's so big.

Sausage rolls are a big deal at donut shops too and an artifact of our state's Czech heritage. You can get them small, large, stuffed with jalapenos, wrapped in croissants and bacon, and/or filled with cheese.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

My kid was asking about it, so we went out to one of the ones that recently opened in our area. It's not that close to home, but we could mix it in with shopping. It was in an otherwise nondescript strip mall with mostly independent businesses. My kid got a candy cane sprinkled donut, I got a frosted one, and my wife (who hadn't eaten) got a breakfast sandwich. I had the coffee too. The donut was a donut. The coffee seemed like a pretty standard fast food coffee - a little bit bland bland compared to specialty coffee, but easy enough to drink black. My kid was also asking about the lip balm that looks like small coffee cups (I think my kid saw something about it on YouTube). The lip balm was $4, but all I can find online are third party sellers asking at least $10.

In California, donuts are dominated by mom and pop donut shops, which are mostly operated by Asian (especially Cambodian) immigrants. Our biggest regional chain (Winchell's) mostly went away locally. Krispy Kreme has a few locations, although the closest one is small, with little seating. There used to be a bigger one nearby, but I guess the demand couldn't justify the rent.

It was a decent enough donut. I heard when it first opened, there was a long wait to get in. It was a bit expensive, but each donut was pretty good sized, and they had lots of unique options like the candy cane one. I guess the last one around here closed in the 80s, but they're hoping to get back starting with a few shops. Is there really anything that special about them other than being ubiquitous in certain parts of the country?

Winchells > Dunkin Donuts > Krispy Kreme > Starbucks

I miss Winchells...

 

[bcla]

Winchells > Dunkin Donuts > Krispy Kreme > Starbucks

I miss Winchells...

The brand still exists. I just recall a slow decline as one location after another closed. I don't recall it being any better or worse than most donut shops. Could finding one be like the people who found one of the last operating Howard Johnson's restaurants, only to find it disappointing?

Reminds me of the big brands from my youth that are mostly defunct, but maybe still barely existing in some form. The one I recall is Swensen's Ice Cream. There's still one in San Francisco operated by the founder's family, but the brand is mostly overseas.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

The brand still exists. I just recall a slow decline as one location after another closed. I don't recall it being any better or worse than most donut shops. Could finding one be like the people who found one of the last operating Howard Johnson's restaurants, only to find it disappointing?

Reminds me of the big brands from my youth that are mostly defunct, but maybe still barely existing in some form. The one I recall is Swensen's Ice Cream. There's still one in San Francisco operated by the founder's family, but the brand is mostly overseas.

Shakey's Pizza.
The counter lunch at Woolworth's.

Oh, there was this pizza place in a mall (Cinderella City) in Colorado. They made the best pizza.
A Chinese restaurant too, off of Federal in Denver.

 

[bookgirl]

Dunkin Donuts are preferable to Krispy Kremes which I won't eat. DD is basically a good donut at a decent price. I tend to get basic hot or iced coffe and glazed donuts. Sometimes I'll get a chocolate long john. I am happy with the classics.

Both places pale in comparison to Daylight Donuts which is a local chain in my state. No fancy crazy flavored donuts and no designer coffee, just fresh baked local donuts. They have whole wheat donuts but that's about as out of the (donut) box as they go.

 

[sasywtch]

I noticed they opened a Dunkin Donuts about 20 minutes fro me but I'm not driving that far for donuts/coffee. If I happen to be in the area, I may stop in to see what it's all about. If anyone is ever in Sacramento, give Marie's Donuts a try. There are two but one was bought out years ago but still use the same recipes. It was featured on two food shows and on the show "The Mentalist". The show was based in Sacramento and he brought in a box of Marie's Donuts. I thought it was cool when I heard the man in the show say it. The owner/baker starts making them by hand at 1am and opens the door at 4am. He keeps cooking the donuts until about 9am.

 

[bcla]

Shakey's Pizza.
The counter lunch at Woolworth's.

Oh, there was this pizza place in a mall (Cinderella City) in Colorado. They made the best pizza.
A Chinese restaurant too, off of Federal in Denver.

Shakey's still exists. Mostly in Southern California though, or international. I went to one in Thailand in the 90s.

I definitely remember Woolworth's. Ours had a counter, but I rarely got anything there.

The one brand that some won't let go is a West Coast drug store chain called Long's Drugs. They merged with a competitor and kept the name. However, when CVS bought them out, they kept the brand name just in Hawaii where there's still tremendous brand loyalty. Those stores are essentially CVS stores (including the CVS house brand), but they haven't changed the name yet in Hawaii.

 

[Aliceacc]

I can walk to 3 DD's from my house; they're everywhere on Long Island. They're the standard bring-along to a playdate or party-- a box of 75 Munchkins is affordable and will all go.

They're not gourmet, but we like them.

I don't drink coffee, but my husband is OK with DD coffee-- though he much prefers 7-11 coffee.

It never occurred to me that they weren't as ubiquitous in other parts of the country.

 

[Kellykins1218]

No idea about DD, but if you have a Tims (Tim Hortons) near you go there instead.

Under no circumstances are you allowed to call it Timmy Hos. No..just no.

Tim Horton's donuts are nasty. Maybe it's just the Ohio ones but they are really disgusting here. Oh, and we call it Timmy Ho's.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Nothing special about a Dunkin Donuts especially if there are other donut places around. Now Shipley's on the other hand if they were ever to leave Texas, I would be a happy camper. Also if a Krispy Kream was to open back up not in the train station I would be happy to.

My husband worked in Houston for 7 months and we so miss Shipley's!

 

[AllisonK]

I live about 10 min south of Boston and there is a Dunkin Donuts like every half mile. It's ridiculous. I don't like their coffee. It used to be better as did their donuts, muffins, etc....back when they were baked in store as others have said. I'm not sure why the coffee is so hit or miss, but it can be iffy. There's a small local chain near us called Marylou's. I will drive by 2 DD on my way there, lol....much much better coffee than DD.

I LOVE Marylou's! The closest one to me is actually in East Providence but I am a grad student at Bridgewater State and whenever I'm actually on campus for class I stop at the one right off campus to get my fix. That said, I agree that that Dunkins can be iffy. There's several near me and I usually choose one of our local coffee shops when I buy coffee out, but I'll occasionally get Dunkin and it's just ok, usually. I do like Starbucks and one of my jobs is in a Target plaza, so I'll get Starbucks on my breaks once in awhile.

 

[QueenIsabella]

My DD is a Dunks fanatic--but, she goes to school in Boston, I think it's required. She's been known to say, "Wicked Awesome!" while holding a Dunks coffee, just like in the commercial.

It's definitely part of the culture in New England, just like the Red Sox. It was kind of funny when we lived in NH--most of the state is rural, so you'd be driving along, and it would be nothing...nothing...nothing...DUNKS...nothing...nothing...nothing. I'm not a big donut person, and don't drink coffee, so I don't "get it". But, in the interest of family harmony, I'll buy DD a Dunks gift card--or better yet, their calendar with coupons.

We have a Krispy Kreme near us that still makes their donuts fresh, on site. More importantly, any child with a good report card can get a free half dozen--this motivates my kids more than any other incentive I've seen. You should see the smiles when the clutch their prized box of donuts! KK donuts are yeast-based, which is why they're so airy. Dunks are cake-based donuts (mostly), hence the different textures.

We have a local place that actually ranks #2 in the nation for donuts. It's a little hole-in-the-wall, all they sell are donuts--one flavor--and drinks, and they're only open in the warmer months. Their donuts are amazing. They are cooked and packaged while you wait.