For some folks in town, two weeks without Dunkin’ was worth the wait as the Harvard store at 188 Ayer Road celebrated its reopening on Friday, March 8. While the fanfare was saved for Friday, the store had reopened earlier in the week, revealing a more sophisticated experience for patrons. In addition to their morning coffee in a fully renovated shop, java seekers were also treated to giveaways, local radio disc jockeys, and a smiling cup of iced coffee posing for selfies with guests.
The Harvard Dunkin’ closed for two weeks to upgrade to what the Catalano Management’s director of marketing, Jessica Halloran, called a “next gen” store. Steve Catalano is the franchise owner of the Harvard Dunkin’ as well as many others in Massachusetts and Tennessee. “Next gen” features include a tap system for cold beverages such as iced coffee and cold brews that, according to Halloran, provides a higher quality beverage; a new layout to optimize the flow of customers; a self-serve ordering kiosk for those guests wishing to skip the line; and new headsets for the drive-thru crew. “We added a glass case for the doughnuts up front because people love to see them up close,” said Halloran. “We get a lot of little fingerprints on the glass that we have to clean throughout the day.” The smile on her face suggested this chore was one they enjoy.
From left: Melissa Fetterhoff, Frank Foley, Stephan Borodawka, Jen Carter, Dunkin’ owner Steve Catalano (with scissors), Carla Cutter, Katia Parsons, and Tye Jordan. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Friday morning was met with Worcester’s radio station, 104.5 WXLO’s morning DJs Jen Carter and Frank Foley broadcasting live from the Harvard Dunkin’ from 6 to 10 a.m. A tent outside had a “spin-it-to-win-it” wheel, providing all participants with gift cards for food and beverages and plenty of Dunkin’ merchandise such as tumblers, hats, sunglasses, and drawstring bags. Employees dressed in the latest DunKings regalia and in iced coffee costumes, greeted drive-thru guests with smiles and swag, while inside the store, WXLO was also giving away prizes. The Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce invited its members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and presentation of a $3,000 donation to local food pantry Loaves & Fishes in Devens.
The “next gen” renovation was met with delight by local residents. “It’s really nice, clean lines, you can see all the stuff, and it looks like you have a lot more options with the coffee,” said Eve Douglas of Stow Road. “My first impression is it is so full of people, I can’t really see anything,” Old Littleton Road resident Dani Miller commented during the reopening.
“This is great for everybody. It is great for the community, it is great for the town of Harvard,” said Tony Shaw, Prospect Hill resident and owner of Toreku Tractor & Equipment Inc. in Ayer. “This week while they were closed, we had nowhere to get coffee.”
The WXLO DJs added their take on the Dunkin’ event when Carter said that the highlight of her morning was “just meeting all of the great people that came out from the local towns. So many people said this was their Dunkin’ and they were so excited, they’ve been waiting for it to open.” Foley agreed, adding, “We love getting out and meeting people who listen, and we have a huge audience up here. Every time we do this, we’re like, ‘We need to come up here more,’ because we do like the people. Everybody’s friendly, they’re happy.”
Harvard residents will need to be happy with this renovation until 2034 as Dunkin’ corporate policy dictates updates only every 10 years. For many lucky patrons, the 100 consecutive days of free coffee they won for being the first 100 loyalty members to attend the reopening is enough to keep them smiling for another decade, while others were just happy with the free munchkins.
The interior of the newly renovated Dunkin' Donuts.
