Road Food - Coffee & Donuts

It used to be that when I wanted to take a break along a day's ride I would look for the next Dunkin Donut shop. NO MORE!

Remember Fred the "Time to make the donuts" guy? He's been gone a long time now. Where each DD shop used to make their own donuts now they're made in a factory somewhere and trucked to the shop in a semi-trailer. Just like the boxed donuts you could buy in Stop and Shop. It seems like many of the "shops" are now little more than a rack of stale donuts in the back of a gas station quick mart. Sad.

There is one DD shop that still makes their own donuts. The shop at 755 Main St (Rt 18) South Weymouth, MA 02190 (781-335-9346) still has their own donut maker on site and they are made fresh all day long. Here's the story from the Boston Globe. They sell twice the national average and have two drive through lanes to handle the rush hours. Apparently DD would rather have more stores and less satisfied customers using the factory method in the other shops. Hey, it's all about profits, not happy customers!

Another donut shop that takes their customers seriously is Baker's Dozen on Rt 66 in Brooklyn, CT. There's a DD shop across the road but nobody stops there except travelers who don't know any better.

Still with me? Let's try out the new DD latte. Or "dishwater in a cup" as a friend remarked. Most of the people at DD have no clue how to make one properly. So is Starbucks the only alternative? While my latte friends all agree that it's the best the new latte of choice is none other than a McCafe at Mickey D's. 90% as good as Starbucks at 50% of the price with 0% of the attitude. I'm a cup-a-java, hot & black, kind of guy but my friends report that every latte has been properly made and tasted great. Who would have guessed? Plus, I have a weakness for those baked apple pies.

You can't beat a counter seat at a chrome and Formica diner when you're out riding. But failing that, it will be McCafe in my future. DD, that's all in the rear view mirror unless I'm in Weymouth. I've gone out of my way for that one!
.