Dunkin Donuts: “Everyman’s way to start the day”
We have arrived at everyone’s favorite time of year, the time of gift giving. It’s the chance to show the ones you love that you appreciate them and all their hard work. And this does not mean you have to spend a small fortune.
My plan this year is to give a gift to my life saver Susan Welgrin and staff, to my foot savers Dr. Brook and Dr. Einhorn and staff, to my skin saver Dr. Bob Paltzik and staff. Of course I cannot leave out my Buddy Steve Parmett of Minuteman Press and his staff. You may recall that Steve was voted as being “The most interesting man in the world” in this column by being over 60, have good facial hair and being well liked by younger women. That’s all it took.
So now the decision must be made. What do I give them? Simple answer. The most yummy, most fun, most cheerful gift I can think of: a dozen donuts in a box!. Okay but where to get them. Oh yes we have a Dunkin Donuts right at 270 Hillside Avenue a little west of CVS. I’ll go get some there. They have those big flat boxes with all the pretty donuts laid out in front of you. The glazed ones, the chocolate glazed, the Boston Crèmes, the plain old fashioned. Joy to the world! I could get a few boxes and act like Santa Claus carrying a big bag full of calories. And I actually get to burn off some calories during the walk. Perfect.
To find out more about why ‘America runs on Dunkin’ I called up Mike Imperato who has been a Dunkin Donut franchisee for 28 years, once worked at the Dunkin on Herricks Road and who is now co-chair of their national marketing committee and a Long Island representative for the Metro-NY Advertising Committee. He told me the history of Dunkin Donuts started in 1950 in Quincy Mass by William Rosenberg. When Rosenberg saw that coffee and donuts were so popular at factories and construction sites he realized how much people seemed to like his stuff. He soon started to franchise and today Dunkin Donuts successfully competes with Starbucks as an American global doughnut company and coffee house with over 11,000 restaurants in 33 countries. Mr. Imperato told me that Dunkins fills a niche by providing great coffee that everyman can afford and enjoy. They are most popular in the Northeast and Korea and will soon be available in California. Imperato said their secret was in having high quality ingredients, only selling fresh donuts, providing quick service and completely updating every store every ten years. You may have noticed that all Dunkin Donut stores look brand new. He also told me they are now expanding into Europe.
Now it’s time to go local and have a chat with the owner of our very own Dunkin Donuts on Hillside. I stopped down during the torrential downpour this Tuesday and discovered that heavy rain does not deter the locals from getting their donut and coffee. The line was steady as people ordered there afternoon coffee and donuts. And there they were just as I hoped. All those pretty Boston Crèmes, the sweet looking glazed and wonderfully robust looking jelly donuts. I briefly interviewed the manager Azee who was really too busy to spend time with me and who I think did not actually believe me when I said I was from the Williston Times and doing a piece on the store.
This store is owned by Ron Portnoy and has been there for years. It seems that most folks on the line wanted coffee, coffee and more coffee but beverages were the last thing on my mind. I just kept gazing at all those fresh looking donuts, thinking about how they would look in a big flat box and how Dr. Welgrin, Dr. Brook, Dr. Paltzik and Steve Parmett would enjoy them. ‘Tis the season to be merry so forget the calories for a moment. Life is so short so let it be as sweet as possible. Indulge your sweet tooth, dig in, enjoy, happy holidays!
