Dunkin Donuts as New England Civil Religion
Oct 2020
It’s Autumn in New England and the leaves are turning into something wonderful. Crisp winds, whispers of Halloween, and deep visions of orange (you know how much I enjoy orange). Simply, Fall has settled in. September and October are my One-Two Punch for fave months and I think this is especially true when living in New England – the geographical local of my upbringing and my current whereabouts (Boston). It’s been a while since I’ve been here during this time of year but I totally recognize how this is the ideal when one regards the season (whether it is objectively the ideal is up to debate based on the bias of my nostalgia, but I think we have our arguments here). Basically, as a New Englander, Autumn is the peak time to be in New England, and I recognize that exclusively through my “New English” identity. I take PRIDE in the trees and the temperature here. The spooky vibes as well . And this got me thinking a lot about the New England identity in general – as in what does it mean to be “properly” New England – or at least performatively so? What behavior, traditions, customs are idiosyncratically New England? And as I reflected on this, walking down St. Boltoph St., crisp 60 degrees and sipping coffee, that perhaps the most uniting commercial custom of “New England” is in fact the very object in my hand – A Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee. (Note – I recognize the rebranding efforts but I will refer to Dunkin’ as Dunkin’ and Dunkin’ Donuts interchangeable)
Don’t get me wrong – New England has a lot of customs and commercial unifiers and I don’t think that Dunkin’ Donuts is at the core of any fundamental, deep culture. But, I do believe that the purchasing, drinking, and enjoyment, of Dunkin’ is a near dogmatic activity in this region of the world and serves as a prime example of surface culture. And I think that both the aesthetic of Dunkin’ and the signifier of enjoying Dunkin’ is prime New England Behavior.
The Dunkin’ aesthetic is rather interesting – because it does in a sense morph to its specific environment while still controlling the same products. Dunkin’, product-wise, is the same at any location just like any fast food chain. But, I think Dunkin’ has an almost unique ability to blend into an environment without overshadowing the external environment. And my theory is that the color scheme of Dunkin contributes to this; it is just so weird – like the orange and purple are so garish and near clashing, but it somehow works? I think Starbucks design relies a lot on space manipulation and product placement. Starbucks uses wooden floor aesthetic, uniformed workers, seemingly well curated music, and a plethora of purchasable items (from CDs to coffee mugs) to create a unique space removed from the external world. Dunkin’s approach is much more minimal to the point of, maybe, dumpiness. Food is not presented with any pretense, only the baked goods are featured for the customers, and in the least complicated way. Music is never a focus in any of my previous Dunkin’ experiences (I’ve observed that many of the Boston Dunkin’ locations do not have music after taking up this project). The staff do have indicators of their employment, but it is never as explicit as the green Starbucks smocks. So, the space and aesthetic are minimal so that the external can easily blend with the internal – but I think that the secret of the Dunkin’ aesthetic is the subtle colors. Because those colors are not featured anywhere else in the world. Those colors being prominent in the Dunkin’ space makes it clear you are in a chain – but they are not distracting enough to make you forget where in the world you are…and I think that is an important thing to note when discussing the “New Englandness” of Dunkin’.
The sociological concept of the performative self is the idea that are identities are performed as on a stage with props, costumes, behaviors, etc. So, for example, preforming the roll of a Red Sox fan (another New England feature), involves wearing Red Sox merchandise, watching the games on TV, having knowledge about the history of the team and the current status of the players, and of course, Pre-Covid times, actually going to Red Sox games. I argue that the very act of drinking Dunkin’ Donuts is performative. New Englander’s performance to the world of being a New Englander or, at least, aligning oneself with the identity.
Now don’t get me wrong – there is utility in drinking Dunkin’. It is coffee that gets you through the day, and the non-espresso drinks are (relatively) inexpensive. And having coffee made for you can taste much better than brewing your own cup and putting the plastic of a thermos to your lips at the office can be a touch unpleasant. But I believe that when managing choice – in choosing which inexpensive to go coffee to go for – the act of choosing Dunkin’ is so appealing because it reaffirms that New England identity. I believe this mentality is threefold – a) Dunkin’ originated in New England so there is some cultural history b) the minimalist design and aesthetic of Dunkin’ allows for one to put their own interpretations on the symbolic beverage and c) Dunkin’ is understood in cultural language as “The New England” fast food (even though Dunkin does advertise as American) and thus a layer of self-fulfilling prophecy is developed – the belief that Dunkin’ is emblematic of New England makes New Englanders further develop the stereotype.
Because let’s get it straight – Dunkin Donut’s coffee and food are not special or exceptionally good (passably good to be generous) – what element of Dunkin’ makes it so attractive when other commercial coffee options, debatably just as good, are available at the same frequency. The reason New Engalnder’s choose to go to Dunkin’ is because they are New Englanders and feel as if it is a part of the culture, almost a responsibility, and in doing so they feel properly “New England” – so it’s not the coffee, but the aesthetic that drinking the coffee gives off in the sense of preforming.
I will briefly touch on the Starbuck v. Dunkin’ debate. Dunkin’ has almost an “everyone drinks here” reputation, whereas Starbucks can be viewed as near snobbish (at least to the most hardcore of Dunkin’ devotees). And I think there can be some discussion of class when discussing the comparison – Dunkin Medium Ice Coffees are larger for cheaper (or at least upon first glance, I’m sure some hard science may disprove these theories). And while Starbucks is by no means not popular in New England – I think that it is not associated with the NE identity because a) Starbucks are in fact from the West Coast and b) the aesthetic of a Starbucks is so insular as mentioned in the earlier paragraph. Dunkin’ does not feel separate from the external as much as Starbucks does – Starbucks tries to hide the fact that you are anywhere other than in a Starbucks.
Anyway these are just my thoughts on the matter. Do you think that there is another commercial product more New England than Dunkin’? Let me know! Dunkin Donuts isn’t the whole New England, but it definitely is the “hole” New England
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