Dunkin Donut's - nimby's gone MAD

Or maybe it gets subdivided, into two smaller stores that don't need a special zoning approval. That might be better for the neighborhood anyway.
 
Well, that's actually the case, now. It's two separate units, listed separately in the condo docs. Combined they are 2,500SF+, which is why he needed the zoning variance. If he wants a restaurant, he can have a small one ... or two separate ones?
 
Was reading around uhub on this yesterday. It seems he planned an alternative concept here. Not the gulp'n'run of the urban locations, but not the plastic benches of the drivethru stores. Something more akin to a starbucks lounge I guess. Bad job from him selling it to the neighbors and bad job from the Hystericals who need to piss off and stop objecting to everything on the principal of objection.
 
Dunkin' Donuts has re-entered Moscow in, I think, the last year or so (they were originally there in the late '90s, then left). Their stores there are pretty much all Starbucks-esque lounges -- they can effectively upsell their stuff to Russians who are unfamiliar with the brand and who know little about such Western delicacies as coffee and doughnuts and assume they're exotic and could potentially be upscale.

It's a bit absurd to see as someone who has always lived with DD's, but the lounge-type DD's are a lot more welcoming and homey than the bare-bones take-out stores we have. I don't know if other countries have that model (the DD's I've seen in the UK and Germany were more like their American stores), but I wonder if they're considering implementing the lounge model in the US...
 
If it's going to be that different from a standard DD, maybe it needs a different brand.

There was similar resistance to a DD in Harvard Square, but eventually they were allowed to open disguised as 'Eliot Street Cafe', downplaying the standard DD branding and signage.
 
Ron Newman said:
If it's going to be that different from a standard DD, maybe it needs a different brand.

There was similar resistance to a DD in Harvard Square, but eventually they were allowed to open disguised as 'Eliot Street Cafe', downplaying the standard DD branding and signage.
Click to expand...

Have you been to any McCafes yet? I was very skeptical until I recently had occasion to spend time in one, and they are nice enough that I'm not bothered by the branding. I see no reason why something like Dunkin Lounge or some other slight tweaking on brand identity couldn't work fine.
 
McDonald's Starbucks-emulating "cafe" concept. They have these around London, for example. Major problem with them is that, as comfortable and well-decorated as they are, everything - including the fabrics - smells like grease and teenage pimples. Even though the drinks are cheap, I couldn't visualize pulling out a laptop and spending a few hours. I think most of the population would agree that coffee creates a more pleasant olfactory experience than fry oil.
 
McCafe is not a brand. Its just a new store concept for McDs. All of them are carrying the coffee/espresso drinks, hot choc and smoothies now. Most have been renovated too. Faneuil Hall is refreshed. Brighton has a gorgeous one (off SFR near IHOP). Quincy has a nice one too with a giant TV. Even the 24 hr one in Dorchester/Mass Ave is renovated.
 
If this is a company-wide reskinning, it certainly hasn't reached my local one (Davis Square) yet.
 
Ron Newman said:
If this is a company-wide reskinning, it certainly hasn't reached my local one (Davis Square) yet.
Click to expand...

No, I don't think it is. Certain locations are getting this treatment, and it extends well beyond decoration. The ones that I've been in are actually separated from a more traditional McDonald's experience, with their own sales counter and a distinctly different menu. They offer the usual multitude of "coffee" drinks, along with pastries and other cafe fare. I also found the atmosphere more enjoyable than the typical Starbucks -- fire places, more spacious, higher ceilings, etc. I think, to be honest, that they are modeled more on Vienna than they are on Starbucks.

The only ones I've seen in Massachusetts are at some of the Pike rest areas.
 
HenryAlan said:
No, I don't think it is. Certain locations are getting this treatment, and it extends well beyond decoration. The ones that I've been in are actually separated from a more traditional McDonald's experience, with their own sales counter and a distinctly different menu. They offer the usual multitude of "coffee" drinks, along with pastries and other cafe fare. I also found the atmosphere more enjoyable than the typical Starbucks -- fire places, more spacious, higher ceilings, etc. I think, to be honest, that they are modeled more on Vienna than they are on Starbucks.

The only ones I've seen in Massachusetts are at some of the Pike rest areas.
Click to expand...

Ah Brighton/SFR has a tiny pastry display.
 
Last edited:
The international McCafe is superior to the terrible US version

mccafe-design-wenge.jpg


220px-McCaf%C3%A9_Hong_Kong.jpg



As for the DD location, I saw a coffee shop in SF that operated in two separate store fronts. The connection was like the CVS/Radio Shack by St marys st in Comm Ave.

One store was the sales area.

The other was 100% seating and tables.

Seems like one way to get around the issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top