The Dunkin Donuts in Sterling is absolutely awful

The Dunkin Donuts on Leominster Road (route 12) in Sterling is absolutely awful. A complete abomination. I haven’t eaten at every Dunkin Donuts in the state, but I am confident that if there were a contest to find the worst Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts, out local donutry would be a top contender. Just terrible.

(I realize that in an effort to improve my physical health I should probably swear off Dunks altogether, but I’m not ready to take that step.)

I’ve mentioned one of their problems before…mainly, the inability to place a chocolate covered donut in a bag in such a way that the chocolate stays on the donut as opposed to the bag. But over the last few months the performance of the Sterling franchise has deteriorated to the point that I can almost guarantee that something about my order will wrong.

There are only two reasons to even go to Sterling for a donut…it is marginally closer than the dunks in Clinton and for some unknown reason, they are the only franchise in the area that carries Bavarian Kreme donuts. (I love Bavarian Kreme donuts.) And lately they haven’t even been able to get the last part right. Two of the last three times I’ve gone to get a Bavarian Kreme donut, I’ve ended up with a lemon jelly donut. I know they are both covered with powder and their fillings are vaguely similar in color, but if you work at Dunkin Donuts you are paid to know the difference and to make sure that when someone orders a Bavarian Kreme donut you actually give them a Bavarian Kreme donut!

(If I may digress for a moment—and I may, since it is my blog and there is no requirement that I remain topical, or even coherent—what kind of a company sends different styles and flavors of donut to different franchises? For instance, Sterling is the only area franchise that carries Bavarian Kreme, but they do not carry a chocolate stick—if I want a chocolate stick I have to get a chocolate gazed donut instead. Yet the one at the corner of Main and Union Streets in Clinton has both chocolate sticks and chocolate glazed donuts, but no Bavarian Kreme…And don’t even get me started on the change from crullers to “sticks.”)

But the inability to correctly identify donuts is only part of the complete disaster that is the Sterling Dunkin Donuts. I like to be able to drink my coffee sometime within the hour in which I buy it. And I like it somewhat sweetened. So I order it with extra extra skim milk to cool it and two Sweet-n-Low (if you want to know why I’m so worried about not using sugar or cream while I’m wolfing down donuts…well, I have no answer for that). The good folks in Clinton always mark my cup with my order with “XXSK-2SL”. They don’t always get it as drinkable as I would like, but I know they have made the effort. In Sterling, I wonder if there is even a point to asking. It is always too hot and yesterday it was clear that didn’t add any Sweet-n-Low either. They didn’t mark my cup, so I’m not even sure the attendant was paying any attention. At least yesterday I was heading home so I could add more milk and Sweet-n-Low when I got back. And the milk they did put in my coffee wasn't sour, I guess I can be happy for that.

I brought home a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin for Michelle. After she took her first bite, she remarked “you know, these sandwiches would probably be better if they would toast the muffin.” They didn’t toast the English muffin? Have any of the Wolfgang Pucks at the Sterling Dunks ever eaten an untoasted English muffin? Might as well chew on a block of Styrofoam.

What a miserable place to get something to eat. If you happen to be in the area and need a pastry, head up the street to Gerardo’s. Or, if you absolutely have to have something from Dunkin Donuts make your way to Clinton or Leominster. But for your own sanity, don’t stop at the Dunkin Donuts on route 12 in Sterling.

Tags: Massachusetts Sterling Dunkin Donuts