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Dunkin Donuts: Good or Evil?
I have a place in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. For those of you not familiar with the area, Wellfleet is a quaint coastal community in lower Cape Cod. Thanks to President Kennedy, from a development perspective, not much has changed in the lower Cape since 1961 when he signed a bill creating the Cape Cod National Seashore. In essence, the bill ensured land that was not developed at the time would remain untouched and so it has. Wellfleet’s business ecosystem had been made up of local businesses and until recently, there wasn’t a chain store in the town. That all changed a week ago when a Dunkin Donuts opened.
Who knew donuts and coffee could be the center of a raging controversy? Many locals and visitors are up in arms at having a DD in Wellfleet. They equate the chain with evil. They worry about the impact it will have on other local businesses. Many see DD as a “gateway drug” that will lead to an invasion of even bigger chains. I totally understand and respect their perspective, but I have a different one.
I don’t see DD as evil. I also don’t see chain stores as black and white. There is a lot of grey. The first Dunkin Donuts was opened as a Mom & Pop shop in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950. It has since grown into a successful brand that is loved around the world. DD serves 2.7 million customers a day. Clearly they are doing something right and are valued by many people. Their customers are mostly blue collar workers. I think they offer a great cup of coffee at a fair price and have consistent quality. Unlike many local coffee shops, Dunkin Donuts offers its employees full medical and dental benefits, something many lower Cape residents desperately need. The employees at the Wellfleet shop are welcoming locals who appear happy to be employed by the chain.
I think Dunkin Donuts did a nice job maintaining the brand while integrating into the quaintness of the town. The best thing they did was upgrade a fugly, deserted building that had been an eye sore in the town since the A&P supermarket closed back in the seventies (I think). They put in a bunch of landscaped islands filled with ornamental grass throughout the parking lot that made the vastness of the empty lot more visually appealing. They also added visual enhancements to a building that for too long looked like an out of place, abandoned strip mall.
Although I now get my coffee at DD, I still buy local 99% of the time when I am in Wellfleet. I buy my produce at Hatches produce stand and get my fish next door at Hatch’s Fish Market (yes, they spell the names differently). I only eat at local restaurants when on the Cape. My three oldest kids work in restaurants, so I tip generously because I understand restaurant staff live and die by their tips. Every other commerce transaction I have in Wellfleet is with a local business. I honestly don’t believe going to DD is a bad thing and believe you can still support local businesses while occasionally frequenting a chain.
Dunkin Donuts good or evil? My vote is for good! What’s your vote and why?
Please note: Comments on this blog are moderated. Any comments that are focused on personal attacks, bullying, threats or overall negativity will be removed.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Having moved away from the North East almost two years ago, Dunkin’ Donuts is one of my most missed Boston brands! I associate it more with the region and positive interactions than I do as a chain like McDonalds. I agree that all chain stores are not created equally, well said Kel
)
June 30th, 2010 at 9:09 am
My vote is good. I support the local KC businesses myself as much as possible, but the reality is that many businesses are chains. I love your point that Dunkin Donuts started as a mom & pop store. I love what I feel is the bottom line. This store came in and upgraded a building which helps the community, hires staff which helps the economy. Yes, I vote for good.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Kel -
All chain restaurants/stores are not the same. As much as I frequent locally owned stores and restaurants, I do tend to purchase coffee to go from either Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. Part of it is due to product consistency – especially in regards to coffee or iced tea. Plus, for me, my local Starbucks/Dunkin’ Donuts is a local shop – I’m known as a regular and I know the outlets support my local community.
I think chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts should be recognized for what they provide to both consumers and to employees. Locally grown/locally made products usually always trump a chain. Except – coffee isn’t grown in New England and, unfortunately, this region doesn’t offer a lot of independent coffee roasters.
In this economy, it is a shame that we’re still fighting over these issues. A business like a Dunkin’ Donuts tends to be a locally owned business. That should be recognized and applauded.
Enjoy your vacation!
June 30th, 2010 at 9:27 am
erin, you bring up a good point. because you are from mass, you see it more as a regional brand. i wonder how much of that impacts my perspective too. come back soon and i will buy you a cup of coffee!
June 30th, 2010 at 9:29 am
deb, i’m sure dunkin donuts is happy to have your vote! i see more positive things happening as a result of dd moving in, but i appreciate that others may see it differently. looking forward o hearing both sides of the discussion.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:35 am
GOOD! The Double D is as American as the Cape itself! I think they should welcome them with open arms. The locals should (as it sounds like they did in this case in Wellfleet) make them conform their building to match the essence of the area. So long as they do that – it should be a win-win. The downside is when the ‘chains’ come in and put up ugly monstrosities that clash with the local vibe. And, as Jenn says above – ‘most’ DD’s are franchised and owned by entrepreneurs. Bottom line – the beauty of being American – is the best wins out. If a local coffee shop does it better – then they have nothing to fear! I’m from the Finger Lakes area of upstate NY – and I’ve seen chains come and go in small towns – ’cause the locals do it better! And oh yeah – they hire local, pay local taxes, which should help the residents keep their own taxes down! Who is complaining!!!?? Give me their number!
June 30th, 2010 at 9:37 am
jenn, as always you bring up a lot of good points. i feel the same way about seeing my southborough, ma dd as being a local business. i feel like i know the people there. they always give me a warm welcome when i walk in and know my order by memory. there is a moroccan woman who works in the dd in southborough. she has worked there for as long as i remember. recently she mentioned to me and ginny that she didn’t have a bed for her son to sleep in. he outgrew the baby bed and she couldn’t afford a new one. ginny and i brought a set of bunk beds we were no longer using to her apartment. you would have thought we gave her a million dollars. i consider her someone i enjoy having in my life and she came to me through a chain.
your other point about not having a lot of local coffee roasters is also interesting. in the spirit of honesty, i feel terrible that i am not able to frequent red barn roasters on a regular basis. friends own it. unfortunately, since k&p moved to boston, they are no longer on my commute. i do feel badly about the impact a dd has on their business.
enjoy the 4th!
June 30th, 2010 at 9:44 am
dexter, you made me laugh. thanks for that. you too bring up a good point. when a chain comes in and disrespects that vibe of a town through its design, i think everyone has a right to be upset.
your comment also made me wonder at what point locals feel a mom & pop should no longer be loved because of growth. what is that magical number? 10 stores? 100 stores? if one of wellfleet’s local shops started to expand, at what point would the locals go from applauding the success to booing it? i don’t think dd did anything wrong in creating a well loved, iconic brand.
June 30th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Normally, I’d say evil but that’s because I am a Starbucks and Peet’s fan. It’s funny, one of my biggest pet peevs when I travel is the lack of Starbucks at my favorite destinations. But, when given a choice between the British Virgin Islands or Aruba and its fast food chains I choose BVI every day of the week.
I guess it’s a delicate balance.
June 30th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I’m starting with a question: Are you going to stop going to the local, high quality, small, lovely PB Boulangerie, which has great coffee, that I believe is fair trade, in exchange for DD?
Here’s my gripe with DD. It’s actually very low quality coffee beans, not fairly traded, not shade grown, not organic. All those gazillions of cups they are handing out every day are decimating the environment. I have absolutely no respect for that. Doesn’t matter how well they treat their employees. At least Starbucks, who I am not endorsing here either, is environmentally contentious.
Kel, you know I’m a fruit cake, earthy crunchy, hippie mom when it comes to organic, non-processed, food. And yes, I make many stops at grocery stores during the week to visit the farmer’s market, our local farm stand, the cheese shop where everyone knows our name, and we have our grass-fed beef delivered from a local family farm. I am an anomaly, I know. But that’s the way it used to be in the old days. We know all the people we buy our food from, including when we’re in Wellfleet. It makes me feel safe. It makes me feel good to know that I’m keeping Lauren’s and Mac’s businesses open year to year. And it makes me feel healthy.
There is a serious, scary problem with the way we grow and manufacture food in this country. I won’t go there, unless you ask! And DD is just another link in that vicious chain. Yes, the girl selling coffee at the counter is local and she’s probably lovely. But DD is not owned by a Mom and Pop anymore than Wal-Mart is. And I don’t believe for a second that DD cares at all about that lovely girl selling you that cup of coffee. They want market share, and they want to get you in the door any way they can.
There are lots of really convenient places I won’t step foot in to because they are a chain whose practices — either labor or environmental — I deplore. It’s a huge sacrifice. But the way that I look at it, every DD or Starbucks that pops up on the corner means one less business opportunity for the mom and pop who want to make a go for it.
I really think Wellfleet sold out. I’m really disappointed. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.
Can I buy you a croissant at cup of cafe americain at PB this weekend?
June 30th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Love DD for their iced tea. No one makes it better. My hubby doesn’t like their coffee at all. He’s a Starbucks man. I really like being able to get what I want on the Cape but we really like frequenting all the great breakfast places out there like Bonatt’s in Harwichport. Best Breakfast ever! As a Calif. girl I really see DD as a local brand that has done well. Winchell’s Donuts in LA have far superior, fresher donuts than DD and they’re considered local to Angelanos. It really depends what you like and where you live. I think if the Cape places give you fresher food, more food and better service they’ll always beat these chains.
June 30th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
mike, i have the same frustration when i travel but it is with not being able to find a dunkin donuts. there is not one in the entire state of california. it’s maddening!
June 30th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
monica, to answer your question — yes, i intend to be a frequent customer at pb. as a matter of fact, moments ago ginny was bumped as the mayor. i thought you may have been the new mayor. ha!
i won’t go to pb every single day because i would gain 25 lbs by the end of the summer eating their croissants. another challenge is that sometimes i don’t have the time to wait in the line — even though it is worth the wait. however, rest assured you will bump into me there frequently as you did a few weeks ago.
i also still plan to get a ton of iced coffee at the south wellfleet store because it is delicious and i love the owner. i have no plans to be exclusive to dd.
you bring up a ton of great points and honestly i wouldn’t even try to counter them. the most concerning to me is the cups and i honestly had never thought of that before. i appreciate you raising my awareness.
i look forward to a cup of coffee with you at pb this weekend!
June 30th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
kathy, it’s interesting to hear you think dunkin donuts is a local brand. could be because there aren’t any in california. the company has never explained why they have purposely never sold a franchise in that state. a big market to not tap into.
i agree with you that if the local “cape places give you fresher food, more food and better service they’ll always beat these chains.” my hope it that both can coexist. let there be peace on earth…or at least in wellfleet!
June 30th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I say “Good”! Maybe it’s because I still see Dunks as a regional brand or maybe it’s because I like my morning joe to be a gallon of low quality, low cost, highly predictable iced heaven from a drive thru. I still frequent independent coffee houses when I want a better cup or a nice pastry or a place to sit with a book and a pot of tea.
After reading Monica’s post, I wish Dunks were more responsible to the planet, but probably not enough to pry the large iced from my hand. At least not yet.
June 30th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
catherine, i love the visual of someone trying to pry the large iced coffee from your hand. depending on the morning, that could be cause for a fist fight in my world. jk.
i am happy monica’s comment helped raise awareness about dd’s need to be more responsible. social media igniting social awareness. whoop. whoop.
June 30th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Lots of good points made here, but I have to ask: do any of you know where coffee comes from? It seems to me that it’s splitting hairs to ask if a coffee joint is local or not when every single bean comes from thousands of diesel-burning miles away. (similarly but oppositely, every coffee shop in your neighborhood pays taxes in your neighborhood and employs people in your neighborhood) If you want to support the authenticity and locality of the Cape, maybe it’s time to drink more cranberry juice. Just sayin.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
limeduck, according to link below the coffee comes from central and south america:
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/credentials/TreeCupPopup.aspx
btw, if you can successfully get one coffee drinker to switch to cranberry juice, you would be the uber marketer of the year!
June 30th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Dunkin Donuts is evil…and not for any of the reasons I see here yet.
In the past 4 years, DD has sued its franchisees about 150 times. This is more than McDonalds (5 lawsuits) and Subway (12 lawsuits) over the same period of time. They attempt to lock their franchise owners into onerous, ham-fisted contracts and then immediately call out the lawyers without warning if they think they have a case at all. In one case here in Boston, they wanted to sue and revoke both of their franchisee’s stores because his *wife* independently opened a breakfast/coffee shop in an unrelated location in Brighton. He had nothing to do with her business decisions or anything else and they pounced anyways. Their track record with their franchise owners is atrocious.
Wellfleet should have held out for a privately owned cafe. As limeduck points out, the coffee is going to come from somewhere else regardless, so it might as well be a small shop owner instead of a multi-location franchise owner who has to constantly tithe to a company that’s just waiting for an excuse to blast him away anyways. If there was a demand for coffee, there are plenty of people who can open a really high quality coffee shop with food that doesn’t come in convenient hockey-puck frozen patties and dehydrated packaging.
July 1st, 2010 at 6:58 am
kaz, thanks for taking the time to comment and for providing a different perspective not discussed here yet. if you have any links to media stories covering these lawsuits, please post them. i’m sure the readers would appreciate the additional background.
July 1st, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Bravo to Kaz. Concern is quality of food that they serve – very low nutritional value, highly processed food – all of which adds to the obesity issues of our country. Folks get the brand into their head, love convenience, familiarity, & quickly replace nutrition for speed.
The hockey puck patties, dehydrated fare at DD as above mentioned,increase carbon imprint, obesity, diabetes,& turns a unique town into another like any other. The coffee as mentioned above is not Fare Trade and that is SIGNIFICANT especially as a multi? national business.
I know that beloved Starbucks has done some very lowballed maneuvers, for instance sending scouts out to find local mom and pop venues and then over bidding their leases, pushing mom/pop aside and then planting a starbucks in the exact spot. Happened in my neighborhood in Seattle.
Over time (as corporate minds know) folks ‘anger residues’ fade and eventually they end up giving them business.
I know why folks LOVE Cape Cod.. Not just for the physical beauty but for the unique setting that includes local business. Why do folks choose Wellfleet over Hyannis? Hyannis has great beaches,and locked in by malls & mostly chain stores. Thank god they are all in one big heap. As a kid we loVEd to drive up to Hyannis and walk around the big stores Zayres.. and we were always so happy to LEAVE there and go back to Eastham where those ugly buildings weren’t.
I think the discussion has merit and I can speak as a codder, that employment is important but as mentioned above.. We have our own coffee company and coffee is an easy business to make huge profits.. We didn’t need Dunkin Donuts to come in. Seriously.. It’s here now and we don’t picket it.. but seriously do you really eat anything from there? Seriously?
Organic just makes sense. Blue collar workers could buy coffee at any local establishment and have for YEARS and have used those establishments as social venues where the owners, locals, banter and discuss. It’s what it is and I just won’t see myself ever being happy that DD is on Cape. And one last sliver comment, When I travel I go out of my way to find a local establishment to get a coffee or a tea. I really feel let down when I see familiar chains everywhere.. really disappointing.
Original creativity and keeping the village feeling is our best hope for staying connected (and I don’t mean just by email).
I do appreciate that DD spiffed up the fugliness Someone else could have as well. We have kick ass wash ashores who hire locals and can transform pine needle terrain into beauty.
But after having said all this… if I got a chance to spend some time with my family and it was at that DD, I wouldn’t put up a fuss at all.
It is what is is… Can’t die on every mountain! Happy to see that they did it in style. Nothing is the devil or all bad. Everything has sides.
Here are lyrics my husband wrote when DD came to ORleans: (in next entry)
July 1st, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Makin’ Dough © 2002 David Roth ~ http://www.davidrothmusic.com
There appears to be a movement in this culture we call ours
For some quickness and convenience when it comes to eating flour
There are many transmutations, many shapes that wheat is sized in
And as many folks who eat it as are things it is disguised in
One such kind, the doughnut, is a favorite of the masses
Who flock to local doughnut shops to fatten up their, come on,
I would never use a word like that when there are children present
Though the words they hear and use at school may not be all that pleasant
Right here on nature’s sandy arm the Fleming family did commence
The preparation of this treat for which they rose to prominence
With elbows jostling torsos every morning, booties shaking
Where the local crowd would gather to partake of their fine baking
Boston cremes and honey dipped, coconut and chocolate covered
And the ones all stuffed with jelly or with shiny icing smothered
Don’t forget the muffins or the Maxwell House’s coffee
This is probably not the place to ask you waitress for a latte´
All was going smooth for years until one rueful day
When the world’s largest donut nation sailed into the bay
They thought they’d sneak right into town out by the cemetery
With those wash-ashores down from Vermont whose names were Ben and Jerry
But Cape Codders are a wily lot, they saw the frosting on the wall
And mounted up a protest to curtail this corporate sprawl
“We don’t need your You-Know-Who-nuts here in town amongst our neighbors
We’ve got Donut Shacks and Hole in One’s to do our pastry labors
So take your franchise somewhere else to make your big dinero
If I gotta have a croissant I’ll just hit the Chocolate Sparrow
Yet in spite of all the protest You-Know-Who-nuts got their store
First in Chatham, then in Eastham, and by now there’s several more
Don’t deny it, I have seen you there in line with all the tourists
Where they claim the world’s finest coffee, that’s a joke to purists
But if you pause to ponder, then this song will have succeeded
Right here at home you never know how much your dough is kneaded
So if you gotta have a sweet, there’s something you can do
Consider local merchants and the years that they’ve been here for you
They’re the ones who’ve earned your business,
So make sure that they don’t go nuts
Go spend more money at their stores
And less at You-Know-Who-nuts!
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:08 am
Kel… great post. As a long-time ‘Fleeter I have to say at first I was turned off by the prospects of DD invading the town. I’m still a bit “meh” with it, actually… and not just because I prefer bold black coffee from Starbucks. But you raise some good points re: offering something for the folks who live on the lower Cape year-round. Natural beauty aside, it can be a tough place to be when all the vacationers/summer residents go home.
Maybe I’ll see you out there this weekend… we’ll be in and around town. I’m running the race on Sunday (Mayo Beach to Great Island lot and back) and will be at the parade Monday morning.
Have a good one and cheers!
MK
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:30 am
tricia, thanks for taking the time to post a local cape codder’s perspective. lots of great insight that hadn’t been discussed. i also appreciate you posting the lyrics to david roth’s song “makin dough.” so appropriate to the post!
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:34 am
mark, we will be around wellfleet this weekend. be sure to wave a hand if our paths cross. ginny and i were debating whether to do the run or not. i ran 10 miles yesterday and biked 25 early this morning. that coupled with the 94 degree heat may lead to a pass on the run. it’s a fun race though. maybe you should grab an iced coffee from dd or any other local establishment afterward! haha.
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:33 pm
i LOVE dunkin donuts because of my east coast nostalgia but i had NO idea they were so good to their employees! right on to that!
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:56 am
ashley, where do you get your coffee in california since dunkin donuts is not an option? interested to hear which brand is your second choice. btw, happy 4th!
July 6th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Sure, Kel. Here’s a link to the synopsis of the lawsuit between DD and their franchisee, as posted by Adam Gaffin over at his Boston news/aggregator site, UniversalHub.com. He also posted a link to the full complaint/court filing. In case your commenting doesn’t allow me to use inline links, I also posted it as “my website” for this comment so people can get to the link through my name on this comment.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
kaz, thanks for following up with the link. i know everyone reading this thread will appreciate reading the additional info. i’m on vacation, but plan to look at it tomorrow. peace out my friend.
July 7th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
kaz, i just read that article. it does feel like dunkin donuts is being a bully. it’s unsettling to say the least. thanks for sharing this insight!
July 8th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Definitely good! Of course because of their delicious coffee (which I can’t live without) But Dunkin Donuts is more then that; their presence in the North is something I take pride in. When I travel, I often miss my Dunkin Donuts coffee and although I have nothing against Starbucks I often feel like a “traitor” buying from the competitor that has seemed to take over most major cities besides Boston. Also, DD is active in the community as well. In High School I was an active member in student government and in times we needed donations or sponsorship our local DD was always there the help, I also noticed that they always donated to causes and other events that needed donations. Furthermore I see this continuing at my summer job, working for a Non-Profit we contact donors for support and donations for our events and DD has been a sponsor for many years. I think DD is definitely good as far as I can see and from my experiences they are definitely all about helping the local communities, and hopefully they will continue this in Wellfleet as well!
July 8th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
deedee, thanks for sharing your first-hand experiences with dd being active in the local community. it’s nice to hear that they are connected and supporting local students, causes and events. i would imagine a lot of these efforts go unnoticed by many dd customers since the company doesn’t toot its own horn about it. there are many perspectives on this subject and i love hearing them all. thanks again for taking the time to comment.
October 24th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
[...] more than a particular choice of beverage, but it would be as interesting to hear their take on 21st century Americans arguing about patronage of small independent coffee shops or multinational me… as it would to know what they think of today’s tea party movement. Tags: boston, chocolate, [...]