Dunkin’ Donuts

Bad and slow service

Cold, wet, rainy day — 1230pm. Would be great to have a hot coffee. Committed to waiting in line thinking the people in the back would return at any moment. Minutes went by… line increased… still no servers/​cashiers.
Homeless people leaning against the walls.
Place smelled like a bathroom stall.
Started to feel nauseous, and a bit anxious when random «customers» started asking me to «help them out».
I left shortly thereafter, still no sign of the employees.

Argh. The only reason I go to Dunkin Donuts ever is when I have a craving for glazed cake donuts. You know, the dense kind, like their blueberry or pumpkin ones. Last night was the second time in a row I’ve walked in (nowhere near closing) and they had only five different kinds of donuts to choose from, none of them cake. Only those perennially stale-​tasting chocolate-​frosted excuses for yeast donuts.
The second star is because at least they never run out of coffee (yet.)

Reviewing a Dunkin Donuts is silly but this place has some notable qualities. Mainly that one would except a Central Square Dunks to be horrible, but it’s actually not that bad.
–Staff is amazingly fast. I always am in a rush, see the line, and consider turning out the door. Rookie mistake. You’ll get through a line out the door in five minutes.
–Sometimes they have a maple frosted donut. The rarest and most wonderful of all Dunkin Donut treasures.
That’s all I have to say about that.

Okay, whatever, it’s a chain. Ignore this review if you please, I am not really that worried about it.
5 stars is relative to other Dunkin Donuts locations, I’m honestly not real stoked about Dunkin Donuts in general.
What am I thinking?
–It’s in the middle of Central Square and offers cheap eats/​drinks, yet is not the wretched hive of villainy and filth that the not-​so-​dearly departed Wendy’s always was.
–Even when there is s super long line in the morning, I am in and out in time to catch my train. These folks are efficient for real.
–After coming here every morning for one week, I no longer even have to order. My Medium Iced Tea with nothing in it is on the counter, my order is rung up, I just have to hand over the cash and then happily toss my change in the tip mug because c’mon, dudes. That is some small town service in the best possible way.
You know what Dunkin Donuts is gonna do, all you can ask is that they do it well. Mission accomplished.

I give this DD 4 stars because the staff are consistently friendly and pleasant. I don’t know how they do it, because this is a busy DD almost all the time and many of the customers are obnoxious (as they are in most places, seems to me). These guys get my order right 99% of the time. I think DD’s coffee and food are top notch, generally speaking. I’m not a coffee snob and prefer DD to Starbuck’s (right across the street). The bagels at DD are authentic, tasty and always fresh, and I’m a long-​time fan of the evil stuff (donuts, b’fast sandwiches, etc). The staff here deserves a bonus for what they have to put up with. Give this place a chance, if you think you don’t like DD.

To kill time and get coffee and bagel fix, this is my place to go while in Central Square. Its nice to sit and watch the foot traffic, and hope fellow patrons keep their arguments civil.

Disclaimer: I’m not a fan of Dunkin Donuts at all. Their coffee is weak and watered down. Their café (can I even call it a café?) is uninviting and cold.
With that being said, I don’t really mind this specific location. Having been caffeine free for two months (it’s true, guys, believe it!) I don’t really have a reason to go here or the Starbucks across the street. However, there are times I get «women cravings» for bagels and breakfast sandwiches (who doesn’t though!)
I came here for the second time since moving to Cambridge (September 2011) and I had a really pleasant service (minus the insane amount of filthy people sitting down). I found the workers (what do they call themselves? crew members? baristas? servants?) very pleasant and helpful. They are usually honest with me (I’m a fan of asking for their suggestions of what food is better and why) which I definitely enjoy.
Most of all, I must commend the staff for being pretty efficient. I have stopped in when running (late) to work. Both times (one time ordering an obnoxious sandwich, sorry, and a bagel) I was out within a few minutes. I really appreciate that.

This Dunkin Donuts is always packed and filled even after they renovated. They need more space but that place probably prints money it’s so busy all the time.

I have mixed feelings on my Central Sq. DD.
On the plus side — they have efficient service and do a great job of burning through a line during peak hours. I think a comparable 6 person line at 830AM would probably move about 50% faster at DD rather than the Starbucks, CCC, ABP, etc here in Central. Additionally, I think the donuts and muffins are pretty consistent.
Negatively, I would never actually sit down in here. They do have tables, but I wouldn’t want to risk sticking to the seats. I actually think this place would be 5-​stars if they just walled off the entrance and used a walk up window like a drive-​thru or one of the summer ice cream stores. If you are looking to sit and enjoy a coffee or food while using a computer or reading a paper — DO NOT come to this Dunkin Donuts. Go across the street to Clear Conscience, Starbuck, Andala, or Café Mariposa. A much more enjoyable experience.
Also, in general, I have a problem with DD not allowing me the control to say how much milk/​cream or put in the sweetener in my own coffee. My proper amount of skim milk may not be the same as the counter guy and that leads to a lot of inconsistency.

Unilocal should allow us to rate with smiley faces so you can get a sense of how people felt when they visited the places they review. For example, I give this Dunkin Donuts 3 stars and a :(
Why the sad face? Because I was saddened that I did not just go across the street to Starbucks like my original instincts told me to do!
It all started when I had 20 minutes to kill & I realized I never ate anything for breakfast & it was then noon. So I thought at first maybe I should get Wendy’s but when I walked in there I felt like I was out of place. I have never been a fan of Wendy’s and once I noticed how slow the people who worked there were moving, I immediately stepped out of line and left. I had 20 minutes to kill and I could tell this would have taken 45 minutes.
Off to Dunkin Donuts I went… there isn’t much seating and I noticed the patrons sitting seemed either disturbed or homeless, but nevertheless I was determined to get my Dunkaccino & bagel! I ordered and noticed a spot opened up way in the corner which was good enough for me! After devouring my bagel I heard a loud CRASH and noticed that the homeless man behind me was laid out completely on the floor, [insert sad face here]. Luckily a nice patron came to his rescue and I shimmied out of there wishing I went to Starbucks instead.
The end!
I guess it could have been worse but I seriously doubt I’d come here ever again before Starbucks.

Make sure you check your order before you leave– they usually mess up everyones order. Speak clearly so they know exactly what you want too. Better to go when it’s quiet.

This place is nothing if not efficient. By virtue of proximity — I’m in here ALL THE TIME and the staff rarely make mistakes on my orders. I guess it helps that I’m in here before work and they’ve got enough staff coverage at those hours.
The Baskin Robbins is gone now, so the line flow has improved some. And a few of the staff here have a real understanding of customer service which is rare in this GO GO GO industry.

Bostonians massively overrate their Dunkies (especially the weird obsession with the coffee), and this might rank as the worst of all DD locations. Nobody behind the counter has any idea what they are doing, and the lines usually go to the front door, which means that you will be hit up for change enough times that your pockets will be empty by the time you are ready to order. With so many superior coffee shops in the neighborhood, this one needs to go.

This place gets no love. I stop in here occasionally. I have to use the holiday gift cards somewhere! It’s my only reason to play Yankee Swap.
This place is small and always filled with Cambridge Campers. I’ve never had any problems or bad service it’s just not that great.
As a side note: What are people thinking when they order 7 sugahs? Maybe they think Adult-​onset diabetes is cool?