our first dunkin donuts - control of cream/sugar

[djneill]

Hi all,
We got our first Dunkin Donuts (or maybe it left and came back). I go today to try it out, ask for a coffee and 2 donuts. The cream/sugar seems controlled by the cashier/barista and not the customer like at *$. Is that normal for Dunkin Donuts or does it vary? Anyone else?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[caffe biscotto]

Not sure how its controlled, but whenever I order a coffee there, they assume to add the cream & sugar for me unless I specify black.

 

[topher]

I went there a few years ago and ordered a coffee...I told them I wanteded a "regular" coffee. They hear regular and they put cream and sugar in it. I do not use Milk or Cream...I took a sip with out looking...sigh...went back and complained and they told me that regular=cream and sugar :roll:

 

[iampatches13]

Dunkin in my experience has always been fickle at best. Sometimes they will specifically ask how I would like it after I order, sometimes I too will get a mouthful of nasty, sometimes its made correctly but you can tell its been sitting on the burner forever.

I think it boils down to Dunkin servers just not really having the pride in their work other places might (which is not really shocking). People who don't really care are going to generalize a lot more.

I suppose though if you expect a surprise every time you go then you can't lose!

 

[MakoShark]

Dunkin

At Dunkin Donuts they use a dispenser from Eastern Canada called SureShot for their cream portioning. They also now dispense their sugar portion with a measuring dispenser. They have always tended to over-portion sugar and cream. The cream is not half and half but light cream, again over portioned. In this way you can cover a multitude of inconsistency and quality issues.

If you have experienced Tim Horton's coffee in Canada and in The States to some extent, you find a similar experience. "Double Double" is the way they term it at Tim's. Double Cream, Double Sugar. Yum.

From a broad chain perspective, it makes sense. The flavor profile for Dunkin is largely set by their grind and portioning practice. It is very challenging to create a consistent product across a large chain when you are grinding coffee in every store. They actually do an admirable job of this, even if you are not a fan of their coffee. Lots of cream and sugar cover a lot of their inconsistency issues. I would guess that over half of coffee drinkers at Dunkin and Tims go the "Double Double" route. It's become a cultural icon in both cases.

Mako

 

[djneill]

Great information thanks!

I agree, the donuts are just run-of-the-mill, but I'll go back to get black coffee, or at least ask for the cream/sugar on the side, to see what it's like. Hate the double double!

Thanks,
Dan