Dunkin’ Donuts

If you end up going to this DD make sure you go in the AM because the evening customer service is horrible! There is usually one man behind the counter, that never gives a smile not even a hello. He gave me a dirty look and almost yelled at me for trying to use a 99c coupon for iced coffee that I got from Tonys fresh food mart. I has to ask him a couple times to use the coupon because I had used one before and he ended up agreeing and told me «no more coupons from now on!». Then I asked for almond milk and he didnt even check to see if he has any and quickly responded «we dont have any»! Not to mention there is never any parking in this plaza because some people like to hang out in the parking lot and just talk for hours. The owner of the place next door «superfood mart» complained to me that the DD customers take up all the parking spaces all the time so he was forced to put reserve parking signs in half the plaza and told me that the parking situation is taking a big toll on his bussiness. I will not be going to this DD again even though its two blocks from my house. Id rather spend my money at a location that respects other businesses and most of all respects its customers!

It’s probably been a decade or more since I’ve set foot in a Dunkin Donuts, but two things got me in here: 1.) Quick breakfast stops along my commute are at a premium; and 2.) their radio commercials for artisan bagels finally pushed me off the fence.
So of course in order to experience the artisan bagels I had to establish a baseline with their regular bagels.
R1. First I tried a sesame with veggie cream cheese. Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. In the wider world of bageldom, this is my favorite combination.
R2. Then I had a garlic with chive cream cheese. I didn’t like that one much: the garlic bits were charred and the chive spread didn’t do it for me.
R3. My third attempt was spinach and artichoke cream cheese on an onion bagel. Ah! The artisans were going to be hard pressed to beat that recipe.
R4. Just for the sake of completism, I also tried a sweet combination, even though I don’t care for sweets for breakfast. Unfortunately, they were out of blueberry cream cheese, so I chose strawberry instead, with a multigrain bagel. The bagel was really good but the cream cheese was too sweet for me. I tried to get blueberry cream cheese again on another visit, but they were still (again?) out. Lame.
A1. The first artisan purchase was a sundried tomato with veggie cream cheese. I was surprised that it cost the same as a regular bagel. So what makes them artisan if they aren’t spending more time to craft them or using higher-​quality ingredients? Presumably, in either of those cases they would price the products accordingly, right? Anyway, the bagel itself was respectably flavorful and the overall package was tasty, but perhaps not as good as my top two non-​artisan choices.
A2. Next I tried the sun-​dried tomato with spinach-​artichoke spread, with mostly the same reaction.
A3. I moved on to the pumpernickel, pairing it with the veggie cream cheese to good effect.
A4. Next I brought back the chive cream cheese despite my previous distaste for it, thinking that it would pair well with the pumpernickel. Boy, was I right! This tandem shot right to the top of my list. I got another one just to be sure.
So, at $ 2.41 apiece, these breakfasts are cheap enough to justify making a regular stop, and the quality is pretty darn good for the price. My go-​tos will be pumpernickel with chive and sesame with veggie, occasionally spelled by onion with spinach-​artichoke. And, if I have a rare sweet tooth in the morning, multigrain with blueberry (if they ever restock it) or strawberry.
The ladies who work here – always the exact same crew – are the model of efficiency, and they keep the unruly high school kids in line, quite literally at times. Throw some change in the tip cup when you stop in.