All Starbucks to close: Dunkin Donuts Cashes In

[Kevy Baby]

For those who haven't heard, almost all Starbucks stores across the country will be closing for three hours today:

Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks plans to temporarily close all of its 7,100 U.S. stores for three hours of employee training on Tuesday.

Starbucks said the in-store training program will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is designed to foster enthusiasm in its 135,000 U.S. employees and improve the quality of drinks made by baristas.

Dunkin Donuts decided to cash in on the opportunity:
Free lattes at local Dunkin Donuts when Starbucks is closed today
Anyone who thought the local rivalry between Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks was a friendly one has not seen the latest salvo in their coffee smackdown.

When Starbucks shuts down all of its nearly 7,100 national stores this evening for employee retraining (some of the contracted Starbucks are on a different training schedule), Dunkin Donuts will hand out free small hot lattes in all of its 450 Chicagoland stores.Story here (http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/02/local-dunkin-do.html).

[NirvanaMan]

That's just good marketing. Love it.

I think coffee tastes like dirty water and can't imagine why people would freely drink it, much less pay $4 for one, but for those who enjoy the stuff, DD is supposed to have great tasting coffee. I believe it is a lot less $$$ than starbucks too. Although I don't think there are any DDs out on the west coast, are there?

[Sohrshah]

I haven't seen any Dunkin' Donuts on the west Coast yet. They do have good coffee, but they are not selling you the atmosphere and "Coffee Shop" feeling that Starbucks does. For coffee lovers, a "Box of Joe" is a great thing....

[Alex]

After years of hearing about how good DD coffee is, Lani insisted we stop there the first time we were in DD country. She detected nothing special in it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wow, I didn't realize Dunkin was 100% gone from SoCal, but that seems to be the case. They used to be pretty common, though nothing like they've become in the eastern half of the county.

[BarTopDancer]

McDonald's supposed to be doing the same thing. Great way to get people exposed to a new coffee.

They need to bring Tim Horton's out here.

[cirquelover]

We still have a few DD here in Oregon but they are getting harder to find. My husband and son still love to stop for the filled donut holes. I don't know if Gary has ever tried their coffee though. He's more of a Starbucks or Human Bean kind of guy. Personally the smell turns my stomach.

[Alex]

I miss Winchells though like converted banks it is fun to be able to see old buildings that you can tell used to be a Winchells.

[Snowflake]

I'm not a huge coffee drinker. My favorite is actually the poor man's mocha from NA and €'s - quelle yummers

[Ghoulish Delight]

We still have a few Winchells down here.

[Alex]

Wow, I'm amazed at how many Winchell's there still are considering I haven't seen one in 20 years.

[Sohrshah]

After years of hearing about how good DD coffee is, Lani insisted we stop there the first time we were in DD country. She detected nothing special in it.

Exactly. It ISN'T special. It's just plain old good coffee at a reasonable price.

[Alex]

Well, she didn't think it was all that good. But I wouldn't know, all coffee tastes horrible to me.

[Moonliner]

Oh great.

You get DLR, Universal, In-and-out, Jack-in-the-box and Sunsets over the ocean.

We get Dunkin Donuts and their crappy coffee.

:(

[Ponine]

To be fair, we got RID of Dunkin Donuts.
We used to have them. Y'all just need to work on the same. :evil:

[Snowflake]

Oh great.

You get DLR, Universal, In-and-out, Jack-in-the-box and Sunsets over the ocean.

We get Dunkin Donuts and their crappy coffee.

:(

So sayeth the Bitter East Coaster!

:coffee:

[BDBopper]

Oh great.

You get DLR, Universal, In-and-out, Jack-in-the-box and Sunsets over the ocean.

We get Dunkin Donuts and their crappy coffee.

:(

We've got Krispy Kreme down here. Neener Neener Neener! :p

[Alex]

Wish you had kept it. Once upon a time people would bring edible doughnuts into the office, now they bring Krispy Kremes.

[Ponine]

Oddly enough, something we waaaaay down here had, and also no longer have many.
I had two I could pass if I wanted to.. no, three... all gone.

[BDBopper]

When I was up in Washington State a year and a half ago I tasted the best doughnuts ever. They were actually potato based and were called Spudniks. Very unique. I loved them.

[Stan4dSteph]

Dunkin' Donuts is like watered down coffee. They put way too much milk in it if you take it that way. I don't understand the obsession with it.

I have neither here. I wish there was something.

[JWBear]

Wish you had kept it. Once upon a time people would bring edible doughnuts into the office, now they bring Krispy Kremes.

I'm glad to find out I'm not the only one how doesn't like Krispy Kremes. Blech!

[Snowflake]

I'm glad to find out I'm not the only one how doesn't like Krispy Kremes. Blech!

I liked the first one I had, they're fried air and sugar.

If I'm gonna be bad and have a sonut, gimme an old fashioned donut, glazed, please.

[Capt Jack]

I was never LESS impressed with a donut than with Krispy Kremes. All that hype, no substance. feh

FEH I say!

I'll stick with the mom & pop shop ones I have in my 'hood. just need to brush up on my vietnamese

[€uroMeinke]

I judge cities by the ratio of Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks - the higher the Dunkin Donuts the less swank the city

[BarTopDancer]

We have a great mom & pop donut/bagel shop across from my office. Unfortunately they always seem surprised to see a morning rush and it takes forever to get anything from them.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I judge cities by the ratio of Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks - the higher the Dunkin Donuts the less swank the city
Err, Chicago has a LOT of Dunkins.

[€uroMeinke]

Err, Chicago has a LOT of Dunkins.

And many Starbucks - perhaps I should narrow the scope from city to neighborhood? Oh and independent coffeee shops trump all - a high amount of those relative to Starbucks or dunkins is a good sign.

[Mousey Girl]

We have oodles of Starbucks, with more popping up overnight. Every large grocery store seems to have a kiosk in the lobby area. I have never seen a DD, but we do have a lot of Yum-Yum, but only in the baaad parts of town.

We did have 1 KK, people camped out for a week, waiting for it to open. It lasted a year.

If I am going to do damage I want a donut from Smith's Bakery (locally owned, very good) or Foster's.

[Alex]

Fresno, CA
# of Starbucks: 27
# of Dunkin Donuts: 0

Result? Mathematical proof that Fresno, California, is in a first place tie for swankiest place on earth.

[katiesue]

Visable Alex mojo!

[Kevy Baby]

You get ... and Sunsets over the ocean.What, are your sunsets under the ocean?

We've got Krispy Kreme down here. Neener Neener Neener! :p Got 'em out here in CA as well. But as other have stated: bleh

[Morrigoon]

I miss Winchells though like converted banks it is fun to be able to see old buildings that you can tell used to be a Winchells.

You mean I'm not the only fan of old bank buildings? Yay! I love the murals they all seem to have. I think those buildings are worth preserving, for the art if not the history.

Oh, um... coffee, yeah...

I like Starbucks and Peets.

[Mousey Girl]

Gee...if Fresno is Swanky, what does that make Bakersfield?


nm. I don't want to know.

[Morrigoon]

There's a great doughnut place in Oxnard we used to go to whenever we were out there called Heavenly Cakes N' Mor. Full-on bakery, but they do an enormous doughnut business on a Saturday or Sunday morning, with a line sometimes out the door.

Costa Mesa has a decent place too, called Love Those Doughnuts or something like that. And best of all, it's open 24/7, not just "doughnut hours". Which makes sense to me, because when I want a doughnut it's usually after 5pm.

But the long and the short of it is, independent doughnutteries are better than chains. Full bakeries that do a brisk business in doughnuts are best of all.

Unlike coffee houses... I find the worst, least reliable coffee comes from the independents, so I actually desire the chains.

[Kevy Baby]

Have you* ever had a regular (read: not Krispy Kreme) fresh and warm out of the oven? When I do the MS Walk (up at 3:30 in the morning), it is a special treat!





* And by "you," I mean the general you**, not specifically Morrrigoon





"" And by "general you," I mean the LoT population in general; not General You (http://micechat.com/forums/member.php?u=16)

[Strangler Lewis]

And many Starbucks - perhaps I should narrow the scope from city to neighborhood? Oh and independent coffeee shops trump all - a high amount of those relative to Starbucks or dunkins is a good sign.

Query: which is Swankier? A suburban Starbucks with a daily coffee klatch of moms with strollers and predictable smooth jazz or an independent coffee shop with a daily coffee klatch of wasted yutes, bad local art on the walls and--here it comes--bad coffee?

[BarTopDancer]

I miss Winchells though like converted banks it is fun to be able to see old buildings that you can tell used to be a Winchells.

Winchells is still around. Store Locater here (http://www.winchells.com/)

My dad used to work for Denny's corporate office. Denny's owned Winchells. The result? Donut holes and donuts galore. Or as often as my mom would let him bring them home. So Saturday morning treats. Yum!

[Alex]

GD pointed that out above. In all my travels over the last couple decades I don't think I've ever actually seen one and all the ones I knew as a kid closed in the late '80s.

I just assumed they went away leaving no evidence but distinctive triangular signage for florists and pet stores.

[blueerica]

I love coffee, and my favorite is 'coffee-flavored coffee,' (wink and a nod to BTD). In general, as long as it's not burnt (which is the case so many places), most coffee is just fine... usually just weak IMO. So, McD's coffee when it's in the morning is perfectly fine, as is DD. My favorite will always be Peets, mainly because of the lack of burn-flavor, but Starbucks' straight-up coffee is plenty fine, and better than most. Bleh..

But I am glad that Starbucks is going through re-training. I've discovered that very few 'baristas'... Starbucks and otherwise... have been properly trained. When I was at Peet's, we'd get a lot of former Starbucks baristas and we'd have to break them of a lot of bad habits that develop when everything is automated. Retraining them will do wonders for the quality of the drinks they churn out... which are fine, though they could be better.

Kudos for Starbucks, and kudos for those looking to make a marketing venture out of such an opportunity.

And I imagine my old Pee's is about to be slammed in a few hours... here's to hoping they brought in some back up.

[libraryvixen]

Have you* ever had a regular (read: not Krispy Kreme) fresh and warm out of the oven? When I do the MS Walk (up at 3:30 in the morning), it is a special treat!





* And by "you," I mean the general you**, not specifically Morrrigoon





"" And by "general you," I mean the LoT population in general; not General You (http://micechat.com/forums/member.php?u=16)

When I was visiting a friend in NYC over 15 years ago, she lived near a corner shop that was part diner / part doughnut shop. The best thing I've ever had was a hot crueller at 6 AM. Fresh, warm and gooey with the icing not completely set. Sometimes now... I crave it.

[Moonliner]

Gee...if Fresno is Swanky, what does that make Bakersfield?


nm. I don't want to know.

Ummm... It makes it a statistical dead heat VS Fresno.

Starbucks: 14
Dunkin Donuts: 0

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Wow, I didn't realize Dunkin was 100% gone from SoCal, but that seems to be the case. They used to be pretty common, though nothing like they've become in the eastern half of the county.

I thought I was crazy. I remembered them being out here but their present lack made me think otherwise . DD really does have tasty coffee.

[JWBear]

Err, Chicago has a LOT of Dunkins.

I first read that as "Chicago has a LOT of drunks." :eek:

Fresno, CA
# of Starbucks: 27
# of Dunkin Donuts: 0

Result? Mathematical proof that Fresno, California, is in a first place tie for swankiest place on earth.

I've been to Fresno... There is something seriously wrong with your methodology.

You mean I'm not the only fan of old bank buildings? Yay! I love the murals they all seem to have. I think those buildings are worth preserving, for the art if not the history.

Sounds like your talking about old Home Savings buildings (http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/figueroa/homesavings.html).

[Gn2Dlnd]

Oh great.

You get DLR, Universal, In-and-out, Jack-in-the-box and Sunsets over the ocean.



Yeah, but not in that order (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=14606197484946300153,34.127565,-118.359976&saddr=12364+Magnolia+Blvd,+Valley+Village,+CA+9160 7&daddr=4828+Laurel+Canyon+Blvd,+North+Hollywood,+CA +91607+(Jack-In-The-Box+Family+Restaurants:+North+Hollywood)+to:100+Un iversal+City+Plz,+Universal+City,+CA+91608+(Univer sal+Studios+Hollywood)+to:Multiview+Dr+%4034.12756 5,+-118.359976+to:1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+9280 2+(Disneyland)&mra=ps&mrcr=0,1&sll=33.986346,-118.158996&sspn=0.536318,1.2854&ie=UTF8&z=10). I mean, I'd have to leave my apartment at like, what, 4:30 in the afternoon, swing around the corner to the Jack-in-the-Box, drive the 6 or 7 minutes to Universal to pick up CoasterMatt, go up Barham to Mulholland to watch this "sunset over the ocean" thing, go back down the hill to the freeway and Disneyland by 6.

[Kevy Baby]

I first read that as "Chicago has a LOT of drunks." :eek:
That would be valid as well.

[Kevy Baby]

Yeah, but not in that order. I mean, I'd have to leave my apartment at like, what, 4:30 in the afternoon, swing around the corner to the Jack-in-the-Box, drive the 6 or 7 minutes to Universal to pick up CoasterMatt, go up Barham to Mulholland to watch this "sunset over the ocean" thing, go back down the hill to the freeway and Disneyland by 6.

<iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=14606197484946300153,34.127 565,-118.359976&amp;saddr=12364+Magnolia+Blvd,+Valley+Villa ge,+CA+91607&amp;daddr=4828+Laurel+Canyon+Blvd,+North+ Hollywood,+CA+91607+(Jack-In-The-Box+Family+Restaurants:+North+Hollywood)+to:100+Un iversal+City+Plz,+Universal+City,+CA+91608+(Univer sal+Studios+Hollywood)+to:Multiview+Dr+%4034.12756 5,+-118.359976+to:1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+9280 2+(Disneyland)&amp;mra=ps&amp;mrcr=0,1&amp;sll=33.986346,-118.158996&amp;sspn=0.536318,1.2854&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;s=AARTsJoQ VtCrKlmjK-VDaKInfvtx9QWO9Q&amp;ll=33.984364,-118.157959&amp;spn=0.546584,0.878906&amp;z=10&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=14606197484946300153,34.127 565,-118.359976&amp;saddr=12364+Magnolia+Blvd,+Valley+Villa ge,+CA+91607&amp;daddr=4828+Laurel+Canyon+Blvd,+North+ Hollywood,+CA+91607+(Jack-In-The-Box+Family+Restaurants:+North+Hollywood)+to:100+Un iversal+City+Plz,+Universal+City,+CA+91608+(Univer sal+Studios+Hollywood)+to:Multiview+Dr+%4034.12756 5,+-118.359976+to:1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+9280 2+(Disneyland)&amp;mra=ps&amp;mrcr=0,1&amp;sll=33.986346,-118.158996&amp;sspn=0.536318,1.2854&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=33.9843 64,-118.157959&amp;spn=0.546584,0.878906&amp;z=10&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>I will have to remember this route :D

[Gn2Dlnd]

Blerg. Edited to fix the map.

And why did I read In-and-Out as an action instead of a location? To get to In-and-Out on the way to Universal takes an extra 35 seconds!

[Kevy Baby]

Blerg. Edited to fix the map.Yeah, but I captured it for posterity none-the-less ;)

[Moonliner]

Yeah, but not in that order. I mean, I'd have to leave my apartment at like, what, 4:30 in the afternoon, swing around the corner to the Jack-in-the-Box, drive the 6 or 7 minutes to Universal to pick up CoasterMatt, go up Barham to Mulholland to watch this "sunset over the ocean" thing, go back down the hill to the freeway and Disneyland by 6.

I liked this part:


36.9 mi – about 44 mins
up to 2 hours 10 mins in traffic


:p

[Sohrshah]

Gotta Love SoCal traffic!

[Gn2Dlnd]

Up to. Up to!

It's important to remain optimistic!

[cirquelover]

Yeah, but not in that order (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=14606197484946300153,34.127565,-118.359976&saddr=12364+Magnolia+Blvd,+Valley+Village,+CA+9160 7&daddr=4828+Laurel+Canyon+Blvd,+North+Hollywood,+CA +91607+(Jack-In-The-Box+Family+Restaurants:+North+Hollywood)+to:100+Un iversal+City+Plz,+Universal+City,+CA+91608+(Univer sal+Studios+Hollywood)+to:Multiview+Dr+%4034.12756 5,+-118.359976+to:1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+9280 2+(Disneyland)&mra=ps&mrcr=0,1&sll=33.986346,-118.158996&sspn=0.536318,1.2854&ie=UTF8&z=10). I mean, I'd have to leave my apartment at like, what, 4:30 in the afternoon, swing around the corner to the Jack-in-the-Box, drive the 6 or 7 minutes to Universal to pick up CoasterMatt, go up Barham to Mulholland to watch this "sunset over the ocean" thing, go back down the hill to the freeway and Disneyland by 6.


That's just mean for all of us nonSocal people :p that would love to be able to do that! Although I'm glad you're there to be able to.

[CoasterMatt]

There's a Dunkin' Donuts less than 3 blocks from my house...

whoops - it's a Winchells, with a porn shop next to it

[Kevy Baby]

I liked this part:
36.9 mi – about 44 mins
up to 2 hours 10 mins in traffic


:pActually, with that route, at the right time of the day, that might even be optimistic.

[Moonliner]

There's a Dunkin' Donuts less than 3 blocks from my house...

whoops - it's a Winchells, with a porn shop next to it

Can I cum for a visit?

[€uroMeinke]

Fresno, CA
# of Starbucks: 27
# of Dunkin Donuts: 0

Result? Mathematical proof that Fresno, California, is in a first place tie for swankiest place on earth.


Yes but imagine this little thought experiment - replace each Starbucks with a Dunkin Donut - I shudder...

[€uroMeinke]

Query: which is Swankier? A suburban Starbucks with a daily coffee klatch of moms with strollers and predictable smooth jazz or an independent coffee shop with a daily coffee klatch of wasted yutes, bad local art on the walls and--here it comes--bad coffee?

The bad coffee independent is swankier

[Not Afraid]

And I imagine my old Pee's is about to be slammed in a few hours...

How does one slam old pee? ;)



Sounds like your talking about old Home Savings buildings (http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/figueroa/homesavings.html).

Beat me to it! I ended up knowing quite a bit about the Home Savings murals because Millard Sheets did a few of them and his son, David, was a very good friend of ours and was on the Art is Public Places board for the City of Irvine, of which I was the City's representative. Home Savings was used often as a prime example of a good (and large) public art program. About the same time, Joan Irvine Smith opened a museum devoted to California Plein Air painting. I didn't know much about the movement before these two things happened and suddenly, my life was filled with more knowledge than I had ever desired on the subject.

I did get to go to Millard Sheet's house, Barking Rocks, in Gualala. Breathtaking house with the even more breathtaking view.

[CoasterMatt]

Well, the best way to drink pee would probably be to slam it down quick.

[Sohrshah]

Well, the best way to drink pee would probably be to slam it down quick.

You just had to go there, didn't you?

Ugh.

[keith - SuPeR K!]

Dunkin Donuts are popping up all over here in Vegas. They are opening 19 new stores in the area :)

[CoasterMatt]

You just had to go there, didn't you?

Ugh.

I aim to please :D

[Alex]

Dunkin Donuts are popping up all over here in Vegas. They are opening 19 new stores in the area :)

Fortunately Vegas' swank is mostly secure. I think there are more than 19 Starbucks just at Balley's.

[Kevy Baby]

You just had to go there, didn't you?

Ugh.Well, it was either him or me.

[NirvanaMan]

Fresno, CA
# of Starbucks: 27
# of Dunkin Donuts: 0

Result? Mathematical proof that Fresno, California, is in a first place tie for swankiest place on earth.

Holy crap that was funny!

[BarTopDancer]

I'm curious how much money they lost during the 3 hours they were closed.

[NirvanaMan]

I've never heard of Winchell. Is it a coffee shop or donut shop?

[Kevy Baby]

I've never heard of Winchell. Is it a coffee shop or donut shop?Donuts (http://www.winchells.com/)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Winchell's is a donut shop. They're mostly gone, with a few still around. But many of the businesses that took over the locations never bothered to replace the physical sign, which had this distinct shape:

http://www.winchells.com/franchise/images/fran_exterior.jpg

Makes ex-Winchell's locations pretty easy to spot.

[Kevy Baby]

Winchell's is a donut shop. They're mostly gone, with a few still around.According to the site I linked above, there are still 88 in California, with a fair amount in Southern California.

My spot review of the locations (and only considering the ones I knew in So Cal) is that they tend to be more in older working class cities.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Considering there were seemingly that many along Victory Blvd. alone back in the day, I'm standing by my use of "few".

[Kevy Baby]

Considering there were seemingly that many along Victory Blvd. alone back in the day, I'm standing by my use of "few".Oh, there is definitely a lot less than there used to be. I wasn't trying to contradict you. I was curious, so I looked it up. I was surprised by how many there were.

Oh, and there is only one left on Victory Blvd. It is in Burbank:
http://www.winchells.com/images/shim.gifWinchell's Franchise 304
600 S Victory Blvd
Burbank, California 91502
(818) 842-8823

[Gemini Cricket]

Dunkin Donuts has terrible donuts. But there are tons and tons of Bostonians who swear by their coffee.

:shrug:

[Morrigoon]

I think there's a Winchells in Anaheim, on Euclid or something. If not, it's some other donut shop... Yum Yum, maybe?

[Kevy Baby]

I think there's a Winchells in Anaheim, on Euclid or something.Winchell's 39
901 S Euclid Ave
Anaheim, California 92802
(714) 774-1885

Yum Yum Donuts
10501 Magnolia Ave
Anaheim, CA 92804
714-995-9976
_________________

And in searching for the Yum Yum address, I discovered that Winchells and Yum Yum are either the same company, or they both use the same web designer. Look at their web sites:
Winchell's
(http://www.winchells.com/)Yum Yum (http://www.yumyumdonuts.com/)


ETA: In looking at the Yum Yum site and reading the "History" section, I see that Yum Yum purchased Winchell's in October 2004

[Cadaverous Pallor]

There's a Winchells near us on Tustin Ave. Thing is, there are probably 10 other donut shops between us and them. I've stopped there once lately and yes, the donuts are better there. They taste like childhood. :)

[Tramspotter]

Can't believe no one posted this (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28657) about phase 2.