Grand opening: Dunkin’ drops in on Corner
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A Dunkin’ Donuts which doubles as a Baskin Robbins has finally opened on The Corner in the old Rita’s space. So what does that mean for students and Corner goers? Coffee, coffee drinks, donuts, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, and ice cream will be available 24-hours a day, seven days a week! Lately, the chain has been expanding in the area, with a locations in Ruckersville and Palmyra.
“We’re excited to be opening our third restaurant in the Charlottesville area, and especially this location across from UVA,” said franchisee and Charlottesville resident, Andy Rod, who says he’d been looking for a good location like this for five years. “My family and our team look forward to serving Charlottesville guests for many years to come.”
They’re having a Grand Opening today at 1pm and word on the street is that there might be some tasty give-aways. There will also be day-long events on Saturday, including contests, a fundraiser for the Virginia Institute of Autism, prizes, and a chance to meet “Joe the Cup”
The freshman 15 just got way easier.
Just say no to corporate mega chains. boooo!
Really, booooooo!? An empty storefront is better than a “corporate mega chain?” Relax.
You can thank the monopoly that owns the real estate on the Corner for the influx of “corporate megachains”. You think in this economy mom n’ pops can afford the premium rent down there? No way. They’re all heading to the cheaper and abundant retail space opening up everywhere else in town (with PARKING!). Trust me, you get rid of the chains and you’ll be left with empty storefronts down there. Just look at the Downtown Mall.
Where did I say that an empty storefront is better than a corporate mega chain?
Hmmm, let’s see……could the alternative to a “corporate mega chain” be an “independently owned Mom ‘n Pop store”? Wow, imagine that…..more than just two black and white, either/or binary thinking options exist.
Bad logic. Can’t think. Not too bright. = FAIL.
(btw my comment was in response to Jim, forgot to mention that….)
@Mighty Horse - That is a good point, and it avoids resorting to black/white bad logic thinking that puts words in people’s mouths. I just hate seeing chains like “Wal*Mart” and “Dunkin’ Donuts” and other Fat American staple chains that plunk down everywhere making every town and city have the same bland, homogenized look to it. I love going onto Google Street View and seeing what other places look like, including other countries, so one time there I am clicking on a random street in London, and the image opens up to reveal………an American Subway Sandwich shop, with this ancient gothic looking cathedral directly across the street when you pan around. o_O ahhhhh! There’s no escaping the homogenized corporate mega chains…..
Boooo, you ROCK.
Boooo,
Sorry for responding to your one sentence rant with a one sentence rant. I guess that makes both of us F**Ls. So you tell me: what’s the fourth option? My “binary brain” knows of emtpy store, independent store, corporate backed store. Well I guess we’re at least trinary. I’ll give you a sec to consult Webster for the definition of “trinary.” I hadn’t realized that mom and pop were banging down the doors to open a shop at the former Ritas space, and were forced out by our corporate overlords. It’s probably because mom and pop didn’t exist. Do yourself a favor and attempt to read your tripe without bias. You’d probably wish you could delete it.
For the record, I prefer independent shops where there is an option. Obviously everyone who wants to own a store and can afford one already is. And there’s still space left over. Anywhere you go you find both, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, as long as they’re paying their taxes. They are paying their taxes, right?
lets not forget that corporate stores still hire people, not robots. it might not be mom and pop owned, but you can bet it is mother and father staffed.
@Boooo - What if you learned that Dunkin Donuts is not really a “chain” of restaurants, as you assumed, but a franchise. (Do you know the difference?) What if you learned Dunkin’ only does business through its franchisees? What if you learned the franchise owners are local people like you and me that realize that some people - maybe not you - like to do business with familiar brands that offer consistent quality. (Or maybe those people just like the nostalgia of getting the same donut their parents used to treat them to when they were 8.) What if you learned that the franchise owners use local insurance agents, employ local accountants and bookkeepers, bank at community banks, and use local architects, contractors and sign makers in their buildout? What if you learned these local owners give back to the community by advertising in local high school football programs and providing thousands of baked goods at local charitable events such as the Women’s 4 Miler? What if you learned that at their grand opening today, the owners asked for donations to a local school for autistic children in exchange for a travel cup that will provide the donor free coffee on Mondays for the next 15 months?
Andy and Randi Rod are those owners and they live right here in Albemarle County. A chain? Their only chain so far are two other stores they have dared to open in Ruckerville and Palmyra in the midst of a crummy economy, somehow managing to create jobs for many people in our local economy.
Please think again when you “boo-hoo” a small business person doing their best to add back to the grid of our local economy.
Actually cya…many corporate chains hire people that they then try to turn into robots. The thing about corporate owned mega chains (and I’m not saying this is the case with Dunkin Donuts, I’m just making a point in general) is that they have a uniform standard of dress and code, sometimes even dictating how their employees must speak. For instance, certain phrases and word choices must be used in lieu of others, almost to where the employees have to interact as if from a script. It’s understandable on the one hand because corporate HQ wants people to be able to go into any one of their chains nationwide and have the same identical experience - same exact interior look, uniforms, menus (if applicable) and way of talking. It’s comforting to many people if they’re away from home to have that. I however am not one of those people. When I go places I want to see stores/shops and eateries that reflect that area’s unique location and culture. Something that screams “You are here!” not “You are anywhere, and what does it matter anyway cause it all looks the same!” When I’m traveling through new towns and only see a prevailance of businesses like Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, Subway, Arby’s, Wal*Mart, Target, Pet Smart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Home Depot, Blockbuster, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Staples/Office Depot, Best Buy, etc., I cringe a little inside, like, ‘ugh.’ No unique idenity, no unique culture. At least Cville does have the unique Mom n Pop and culture options…but so many towns in middle America don’t. They only have mega retail chains, with nothing else going for them. Very disappointing when passing through them. And Dunkin Donuts in particular has always been so….tacky to me. I don’t know what it is about that place. I though Cville was better than Dunkin Donuts. o_O We’re slipping people. :D
booo! I can only make a guess here, but do you work for UVA or the government? Almost seems that you have never had to live in the “real” world. I’m sure we would all like to have a Mayberry Utopia here in good old C’ville, but perhaps you should start living in reality.
I love Spudnuts. :)
Seems like you commenters have dunkin more than your donuts.
Relax and enjoy yet another beautiful weekend in paradise.
Another vote for Spudnuts!!!
Just wish they had some nice cream filled Eclairs! :)
William said: “booo! I can only make a guess here, but do you work for UVA or the government? Almost seems that you have never had to live in the “real” world. I’m sure we would all like to have a Mayberry Utopia here in good old C’ville, but perhaps you should start living in reality.”
_____
@ William - No.
And quite the opposite. I’ve been out on my own supporting myself since before graduating highschool, no family to back me up, and I’m in my mid-30s now. I’ve lived in multiple parts of the country as well, and worked at more jobs than my age thanks to the vast amount of temping I’ve done in at least four states (though I’ve worked in more than that, at non-temp jobs as well), which means an extreme exposure to multiple job industries and the ways of the world.
An observant person can tell just by the way I sound/write that I’m not a small town podunker with limited life experience. You’re not very good at reading people are you?
And since when is cringing at big box stores and mega retail chains a sign of somebody who lacks life experience? If anything it shows the opposite - somebody who’s been around, and doesn’t like what they’re seeing in the world. Those who’ve never been anywhere are the ones who don’t see it and don’t know any better.
there used to be a dunkin donuts on the site where arch’s now stands on emmet st, then it was a donut connection or something like that before the building was torn down. i wonder if booooo remembers that. i guess cville was slipping back then too.
Agree with Col. Forbin - SPUDNUTS ROCKS!
You go CHERI! Couldnt have said it better.
Im happy to see new business that produces jobs and contributes to the community in this economy. Spudnuts!!!! :)
here’s the deal:
the local, small real estate owner on the corner jacks up the rent so that only chains can afford to be there
dont blame the chains, blame the local small landlord that is screwing the local potential lessee
this is just a local screwing, the national chains have nothing to do with it
God bless capitalism. Ive been waiting for this day since the one on Emmett Street shut down. I don’t care if I gotsta fly - planes, trains, auto-mo-bieells - betta have my dunkin doooooonuuuts
spudnuts is too far away for the u.va students: something like 5 whole miles.
“Better than Dunkin Donuts” Fella, you aint better than nobody!
Spudnuts and Bodos are both amazing… who needs Dunkin Donuts
Awesome news. Where I come from, Dunkin Donuts are on every corner.
Back from the first trip. The place is swamped. The staff is clearly not really ready. They should have had a few more days of a soft open.
Northerners are used to lightening fast service at DD. The Corner location will probably need a few months to get there.
I hope the management is different from the one north of the airport. I went in there and asked for a “medium, cream, two sugars” and the dude said “uhhhh…medium what?”. Dude, at every other DD in the country, that means coffee. I think I waited five minutes there for a toasted bagel with cream cheese.
yuck
Donuts are valium.