As a child, it was a treat
to be taken to Dunkin’ Donuts. I remember the sheer joy of peering over the
counter and gazing at all the varieties of sprinkled sweets and iced goodies
that where only a reach away. Once
given the box of doughnuts, my eyes would widen and then the choice was on;
fried glazed chocolate crawler or the classic rainbow sprinkled? But the “crawler” of my childhood is
gone, replaced with something that’s now called a “stick” - and I’m lucky even
to find the chocolate variety! - and my sprinkled doughnut leaves me with a
strange, chalky coating in my mouth. The Dunkin’ Donuts of yesteryear is gone
and with Corporate’s initiatives to make DDs a fast food restaurant, and I
wonder, “What would ‘Fred the Baker’ think?!”
Over the summer, I heard the
first news of Dunkin Donuts trying to emphasize the “Dunkin’” part of their
name, when CFO Paul Carbone said, “We’re a beverage company.” To me that was a
complete assault on what made the company famous, the doughnuts! I can still hear the echoes of Fred
calling, “Time to make the doughnuts!” and can remember Fred restocking the doughnut
shelf commercial. I cringe to
think that this memory of doughnuts could be possibly wiped from memory with
the invention of more nonsense “-lata” drinks! I will admit, I’m not a fan of
DD’s coffee and their coffee-like drinks are just full of sugar and creams and
compounds that are most likely found on my lab bench. If DD wants to focus on
something, maybe they should hone their efforts in a more health conscious
drink instead of bring the American consumer more of the same syrupy
concoctions. Then again, if you’re frequenting Dunkin Donuts, you’re looking
for a treat that is usually not on the healthy side…
What got me thinking about
Dunkin Donuts was a billboard ad that boasted six doughnuts for $3.99. That
doesn’t sound incredibly expenses, but like the price of the postage stamp, the
price for a doughnut at DD has gone up too. With some searching, I learned that
Mr. William Rosenberg, creator and first owner of Dunkin Donuts, sold a dozen
doughnuts for 69 CENTS in 1950! With this special going on, the price per
doughnut has almost sextupled! Yes, coffee and milk prices have risen, so currently
it’s a steal to buy six doughnuts instead of one (one doughnut is $.99 and
without the special it’s normally $5.89 for a half dozen).
I haven’t written off all doughnuts; I actually love
doughnuts and that’s why I won’t settle for just “okay.” Even many restaurants
have recently added some kind of doughnut dessert item whether or not they
actually call it a “doughnut,” the item is still fried, sugary goodness! It’s
not about cost but purely taste. So in Philly, the doughnut king would be
Federal Donut, and only for $1.50, you can enjoy the sugar raised doughnut of
your childhood.
Amazing delight fresh out of the frier and rolled in cinnamon and sugar!
It’s not just FedNuts, but I feel like any mom and pop
establishment has a better product than DD. Take Duck Donuts in the Outer
Banks; they house “the breakfast of champions” - or maybe kids and kids at
heart! What both these
establishments have is that you can actually watch how your treat is being
prepared; from being fried and glazed right before your eyes - a craft that DDs
lost long ago.
Duck Donuts in Corolla, NC
To me, Dunkin Donuts is in a bit of an identity crisis. It
cannot produce a quality product while it’s trying to be recognized for
something that it is not.
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