Life is easier lived when one can make handy correlations, and an apt one seems to be this: Is the longing for a Southern California Dunkin' Donuts -- a longing that many locals possess, not just the transplanted New Englanders -- the same desire that people in other places have for an In-N-Out restaurant?
We think there are comparisons to be made. Not in product: In-N-Out is about burgers and fries, while Dunkin' Donuts is synonymous with soft, squishy, jelly-filled pastries and a coffee that's praised from Cape Cod to the Back Bay. But when a good restaurant exists in one region, and not in others, Eatery Envy develops.
Eatery Envy may soon come to a close for Southern California Dunkin'-Donut-ists. It was announced on Thursday, July 25 that the Massachusetts-based breakfast bastion had signed an agreement with four franchise companies. The goal? See 45 standalone Dunkin' Donuts debut around Los Angeles and Orange County starting in 2015.
What was that, dear donut devotees? A thud as you hit the ground, overwhelmed by the sheer number of places in which you'll soon procure Munchkins and Boston Kremes and Powdered Sugars and muffins and breakfast sandwiches? And that famous coffee?
Okay, it has been established: Everyone has to try the coffee, first thing, right away, when the early shops open. Agreed? Agreed.
You may not have to wait all that long, however, "Some non-traditional Dunkin' Donuts locations may open over the next several months," says a release.
Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Malibu are some of the places mentioned as prospective sites for standalone shops. Barstow, too, will get one in the Barstow Station. (Get ready, Vegas hotels, to find empty Dunkin' Donut boxes left by guests heading back to SoCal.)
Of course, there is a Dunkin' Donuts in the area now, or not too far, at least: Camp Pendleton.
The company was founded in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. There are restaurants in 36 states and in 30 countries.
So, the next obvious question is this: When will an In-N-Out arrive in Boston? Seems like fair is fair on this matter.
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