Dunkin’ (Dunks) is a popular chain with around 8,500 stores nationwide. Dunkin’ is most known for selling coffee and donuts; however, in recent years, they have expanded their menu to keep up with competing places. They continue to expand their food options. They started with avocado toast and released loaded tots, breakfast tacos, chicken, and roasted pepper wraps. In their most recent financial statement, in 2020, they generated 1.25 billion in revenue. There is no doubt that Dunkin is a successful franchise, but what about at Bentley? A Dunkin’ is located in the middle of the Student Center, where staff, students, and faculty get their coffee. However, is this out of convenience, or do people actually like Dunkin Donuts? After interviewing the Bentley community, this is what they have to say.
“As a person who has lived in Massachusetts their entire life, having Dunks on campus is essential. It may not be the fanciest one in the world, but it does the job. It is great that it is in walking distance for most people.” -Bentley Student
After receiving this statement, I had more follow-up questions. Do you like the food and drinks, or is it convenient? Would you prefer another coffee place? Additionally, it is not part of the meal plan; does that cause people not to want to purchase?
Another Bentley student said, “Yeah, it is just convenient for me. It isn’t the best coffee, but I am in the STU frequently, and it's so easy.”
I then asked, “How do you feel about it not taking discretionary?”
They said, “It would be nice if it did, but I still don’t mind spending $5 once or twice weekly.”
On the topic of discretionary, a student says that they do not go to Dunks often, but if it took discretionary dollars, they would.
Some other student critics were that it was not always organized and that there was not a huge selection of drink items. Dunkin’ is more well known for its coffee but also serves matcha and chai lattes, refreshers, and hot chocolate. Although there are some options, competitors, such as Starbucks, have a wider selection. People also say that the quality of the drinks at the on-campus Dunkin’ is worse than others in the area. They prefer to go to the one on Linden Street as it is more efficient and tastes better.
A student says, “Although the off-campus Dunks is further away, I think it is worth it because it is not as crowded and tastes much better.”
To continue to get more feedback, The Bentley Vanguard (@thebentleyvanguard) posted a poll on Instagram to get further information on how the community feels about the on-campus Dunks. The poll asked, “Do you like the Dunkin On-Campus?” with the voting options being Yes, No, and Sometimes.
39 voted yes, 6 said no, and 19 voted sometimes. This shows that 61% of the notes enjoy having a Dunkin in the Student Center, with one of the replies being, “How can you live in Mass w/o dunks?”
Overall, it seems that even if it is out of pure convenience, most Bentley students, faculty, and staff enjoy having a Dunkin’ on campus!
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