While you’re out scrambling like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way to check off those last few items on your Christmas shopping list, it’s important to make sure you have enough energy to battle the traffic, long lines and angry parents you’re sure to encounter. You also don’t want to fall asleep out there – that could be bad.
So what do you do to give yourself a little boost? Well, chug coffee, of course.
If you didn’t know, Concord is home to nine Dunkin’ Donuts locations – and Bow has one, too. That means that there are plenty of places around here to stop and refuel when you’re on the go. (We know there are tons of good independent coffee shops in town, but only Dunkin’ boasts more than a couple, and we’re all about volume and variety here.)
But this leads to the obvious question: Which one should you go to?
Most of you will probably just go with whichever one is closest to your house, but doing so could mean missing out on the best one to suit your needs.
How can they be any different? It’s a chain, so they’re all the same, right?
Wrong.
This Insider is somewhat of a Dunkin’ connoisseur who appreciates the subtle nuances that define each Dunkin’ Donuts. Each location has its own charms and idiosyncrasies, and there actually is some variation from store to store in terms of doughnut selection, store layout, seating arrangements and merchandise options.
We decided to hit up all 10 in our coverage area and give you the low-down on what’s what. Hopefully this will be all the guidance you need to wrap up your shopping for the year (that’s the last wrapping pun we’ll make this year, promise).
1 Whitney Road
The newest Dunkin’ in town is inside the Mobil Xtramart across from the Concord Sports Center. This part of town might be a bit out of the way for many of you, so this Dunkin’ may have slipped under your radar.
It has a drive-through, so you can stay nice and warm in your car while you’re grabbing your macchiato. If you feel like going inside, you’ll find an okay selection of doughnuts and a pretty decent array of merchandise, including ornaments, gift cards, packs of coffee and even a Keurig coffee maker.
You’ll have to get your order to go, though, as there is no seating inside.
98 Fisherville Road
This Dunkin’ used to be a home away from home for many Insider and Monitor staffers – until the closure of the Sewalls Falls Bridge made getting there from here an all-day ordeal.
This one, like the one on Whitney Road, has a pretty good selection of merchandise and an average selection of doughnuts. It also has a drive-through.
However, this one offers ample seating if you’re looking to get out of the car for a few minutes to take a little break. There’s even bar-style seating if you like to sit above the crowd while you drink coffee and eat muffins.
It’s conveniently located between two gas stations, so if you need to fill up your car after filling up your belly, all you need to do is turn either direction out of the parking lot (not that you really have any other choice) and decide between Irving and Cumberland Farms.
196 N. Main St.
The Dunkin’ inside Cumberland Farms downtown is one of only two in the city without a drive-through. It forces you to go inside and interact with people face to face, so if that kind of thing’s not really your strong suit, this may not be the best Dunkin’ for you.
It does have a pretty solid merchandise selection for a location that shares space with another business, but it does not have seating. This Dunkin’ is good if you’re in a real hurry yet still have time to run inside – assuming the line isn’t too long.
121 S. Main St.
This Dunkin’ is popular due to its close proximity to the highway and downtown, and the fact that it has a drive-through. There’s also quite a bit of seating inside, and there are often many people eating at the tables.
Located across the street from McDonald’s, which also sells coffee and breakfast food, this Dunkin’ stays open 24 hours a day, just like that McDonald’s. We’re not saying this Dunkin’ is doing everything it can to compete with that McDonald’s, but the drive-through food and coffee sellers do have some similarities.
The doughnut and merchandise selections at this Dunkin’ are about average – there’s enough of each, but not a ton.
62 Manchester St.
The Dunkin’ on Manchester Street has plenty of seating, just like the South Main Street one, and it features an inflatable, friendly snowman greeting customers inside.
The doughnut selection is okay, but there isn’t all that much in the way of merchandise. If you still need to get a few gifts, this might not be the best Dunkin’ to get them.
Steeplegate Mall
This Dunkin’ is, shockingly, the only one inside a mall. It therefore does not have a drive-through (but imagine?).
What it does have is plenty of seating. In fact, if you go to this Dunkin’ you get to use the entire mall food court as your seating area.
This is a small operation, so the doughnut (and overall food) selection is slim. However, there is plenty of merchandise, so this is more of a buy-gifts stop than a get-food stop. After all, it is inside a mall.
333 Loudon Road
This Dunkin’ is inside the Shell station across the street from Wal-Mart. It’s one of the three gas station/Dunkin’ combos in Concord, and the only one of those that offers seating.
The doughnut and merchandise selections are pretty good, especially for a combo location.
All things considered, this is a pretty good hidden gem in terms of Concord Dunkin’ Donuts.
101 Loudon Road
The Dunkin’ on Loudon Road across from Wendy’s (you might think of this stretch as Loudon Road Proper) is a heavy hitter.
Sure, there’s a long drive-through and lots of seating inside, but that’s not why this Dunkin’ stands out from the pack.
This one has the best food options of them all. There are all kinds of doughnuts and specialty pastries available for your shopping binge consumption, but the Munchkins are the stars here.
You can get all kinds of Munchkins here that you probably didn’t even know existed, like the Boston creme or blueberry cake ones.
There’s also plenty of merchandise for sale – mugs, travel cups, coffee, ornaments – so you can do all of your Christmas shopping right here.
And, on top of it all, there’s a rack full of the Insider right inside the front door. Well, it was actually empty last week, but that can only mean lots of people have been grabbing copies to take with them. We can’t complain about that!
412 S. Main St. / 3A
This Dunkin’ is located right off Exit 12 on Interstate 93, perfect for making a quick pit stop when you’re running all over the state.
This one has a little of everything we’ve seen so far: a drive-through, some seating including a little bar, good merchandise selection and average doughnut selection.
But it also has something to provide a different kind of boost. We humans aren’t the only things that need energy to survive – so do our cell phones.
Thankfully, you can score a cool Dunkin’ Donuts portable phone charger at this location. There’s nothing worse than checking your shopping list on your phone while you’re in Sears and having the thing die. If you stop at this Dunkin’ Donuts, you can protect yourself from that agonizing situation.
728 3A, Bow
So it turns out there is in fact one Dunkin’ Donuts in Bow.
When I set out on my tour, I thought the Dunkin’ on South Main Street/3A (above) was the Bow one. I went in, observed and left, thinking I was done.
I soon learned, thanks to a map on the city’s website, that 412 S. Main St. is still Concord. The Bow town line is just a few hundred feet away.
Luckily, the real Bow Dunkin’ is just a few miles farther down the same road.
It’s inside a Mobil gas station/Alltown store, but it’s a little different from the combo stores in Concord.
This one does have a drive-through, and there is some room for seating inside. Although it’s not a huge space at all, there are four two-seat tables inside, and people were even using them last week.
The doughnut selection is fine, but the merchandise is good. Consider this one if you still need to pick up a few gifts.
The takeaway
So it was a long, strange trip across Concord, Penacook and Bow, stopping at every Dunkin’ Donuts on the map.
I didn’t know exactly what to expect or what I might find at each location, but the thrill of the surprise kept it pretty exciting.
So now that I’ve hit every one in our coverage area, I feel I owe it to all of you to give you some kind of takeaway, some kind of lesson that I learned on my journey. After all, that’s what great expeditions are all about.
What I learned is that the Dunkin’ on Loudon Road across the street from Wendy’s is the best one in town, all things considered.
You get the option of drive-through or sit-down. You can read over the latest issue of the Insider while you enjoy your food and drink. You can buy cool gifts for your significant others. And you can pound box after box of Boston creme Munchkins, which are easily the best ones there are (no offense, jelly).
Truthfully, though, all of the Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Concord and Bow are pretty similar – it is a chain with thousands of stores in more than 30 countries. But that doesn’t mean each location isn’t without its own charms.
Use this as a guide as you head out on your final shopping trip. Every shopper has his or her own unique needs, and there’s a Dunkin’ for each one of them.
