New Yorkers need fuel. From commuters to residents the city is flooded daily with millions of people. What keeps these people running comes in the form of liquid heaven or as less obsessed people refer to it, coffee. For my blog, I decided to take on the arduous task of visiting some on the most popular coffee spots in NYC, and see which place really says and means that they can truly serve New York City. This assignment isn’t only limited to the java but also the overall ambiance and mood that the place has to offer. Sure some place can have great coffee but is it worth the price of feeling like just another customer? Off we go…

Place: Dunkin’ Donuts

Address: 120 East 14^th Street, NY, NY 10003

Telephone: (212) 388-9992

Website: dunkindonuts.com

“America Runs On Dunkin’”. The phrase alone puts an immense amount of pressure on the coffee/bagels/sandwiches/pretty much anything conglomerate that is Dunkin’ Donuts. Maybe it’s their unique spelling of donuts but most Americans seem taken with the way D and D does business. Their corporation statistics, provided by their website, are staggering. There are over 8,000 Dunkin’ Donuts worldwide, with over 6,000 alone spread out through 34 of the United States. In New York City there seems to be one on every corner facing off against a Starbucks, of course.

This specific Dunkin’ Donuts that I decided to visit to start off my research, located on 14^th Street just near Union Square in Manhattan, is special. Situated under a New York University dorm, it serves a range of customers from caffeine hungry business people to equally, if not more, caffeine deprived college students. What makes it so alluring is the overall atmosphere felt once you walk through the door. It seems to always be busy with people constantly filing in and out the main entrance and also the convenient student specific entrance.

What really makes this place an experience is the people behind the counter. They’re always poised and ready to take orders; so much so that a line of 20 can be dwindled down within minutes after workers successfully fulfilled the customer’s fix of coffee and other treats. New Yorkers seem to always be on a time crunch, so this Dunkin’ offers the perfect pit stop that gets you in and out within a reasonable amount of time. Nicole, a NYU sophomore, puts it perfectly when she says this D and D is “faster, cheaper, and yummy”.

This brings me to another important point when deciding which coffee spot to frequent: price. In Manhattan most restaurants and stores are so incredibly over priced credit cards whimper when swiped. In tough economic times, it’s nice to have a place where indulgences can be met without the bank account cringe. Dunkin’ is cheap, in a good way. They offer combos which are usually under four dollars. These include a drink with the breakfast treat of your choosing. For those health conscious individuals they offer a multitude of DD Smart choices so no guilt is felt in enjoying Dunkin’.

Back to 14^th Street. One worker goes down the line with finesse as she seems to be able to remember five coffee orders at a time. Another worker mans the stove as he usually has five bagels lined up ready to be slathered with butter or cream cheese. Orders are shouted amongst them, reminiscent of the Pike Place Market in Seattle, minus the huge amounts of fish though. Workers offer terms of endearment such as “sweetie” making the customer feel appreciated. I got the chance to witness an exchange of sorts between a stressed out college student and the cashier. The worker was convincing the girl to de-stress and not worry because “after four years it’ll all pay off sweetie”. That’s good service.

Although this is the first on my many stops in the journey of finding the perfect coffee haven, it was a great jumping point. Maybe Dunkin’ will be able to amend their catch phrase a bit; “NYC runs on Dunkin”. Unfortunately it’s too soon to tell.