Investigators think they've solved the mystery of the missing manhole cover that should have kept a LI teen from falling to his death on Sunday. Half the lid was removed by a worker from a neighboring pizza parlor, who tried to save Amiri Zeqiri. The rest has now been extracted from the cesspool 20 feet below, using a giant red magnet. Officials told Newsday that "the cover was in place and in some kind of shape that . . . when he stepped on it, it broke apart and he fell in." Zeqiri, who worked at Dunkin Donuts, was taking trash to the dumpster when he fell into the sewage pipe. more ›
Results tagged “dunkindonuts”
The Long Island teen whose cesspool death made headlines yesterday spoke to his 14-year-old cousin as he tried to stay afloat. "I think I broke my arm. I feel blood running," he said, I don't wanna let go. I don't wanna let go.'" Ameri Zequiri was taking out the trash behind the Smithtown Dunkin Donuts where he worked when he stepped into an uncovered manhole and fell 20 feet. more ›
ARGHH—look at that thing, it's headed straight for our arteries! Lock up your Deal-A-Meal, because this week marks the triumphant return of the Dunkin' Donuts Waffle Breakfast Sandwich (500 calories), a button-busting invention that merges scrambled eggs, sausage and American cheese between two "maple-infused" waffles for just $2.99 (suggested retail price). Dunkin' has brought the sandwich back "by popular demand" for a limited time only, and later this month they'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day by reviving the "Lucky Dozen" donut, "a raised yeast ring with chocolate icing topped with white and yellow sprinkles and green clovers for the suggested retail price of 89 cents." Mmm, raised yeast. Now why can't area McDonald's do the same for the elusive Shamrock Shake?
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The Center for an Urban Future has followed up last year's hit "Attack of the Chains" study with a terrifying new sequel: "Return of the Chains." [pdf] They're back, their power is growing, and not even the recession can stop them from ultimately setting up shop inside your skull. Since last year's report about national retailers' footprints across our increasingly homogeneous city, over 30 percent of the chain retailers have expanded their presence. Dunkin' Donuts tops the list for the second straight year, with 429 locations city-wide, despite losing 12 of its stores to the Tim Horton’s invasion and facing blatant NYPD pilfering. According to the report, Dunkin' added 88 new stores in the five boroughs since July 2008. more ›
Defying the tired old cliche about cops loving their carrots and wheatgrass, a Brooklyn police sergeant is under investigation for loading up on donuts without paying at a Belle Harbor Dunkin' Donuts. A manager at the location called the cops on Sgt. Eric Turetsky after getting fed up with his behavior, which he claims included flirting with the adolescent workers and habitually underpaying for his donuts. The manager, who for obvious reasons asked not to be identified, tells the Post, "The girls here couldn't stand him. He was rude toward them. He was not professional at all." After reporting Turetsky, Internal Affairs watched him go into the store on seven different occasions, and on each of those trips he allegedly went behind the counter to help himself to the donuts. Turetsky, who was promoted to detective after blowing the whistle on fellow officer Justin Volpe in the infamous Abner Louima bathroom sodomy scandal, is currently assigned to the 100th Precinct in the Rockaways. If found guilty of accepting free or discount donuts, Turtetsky could lose 30 days of vacation time! more ›
The Big Apple arrival of Canadian fast food chain Tim Hortons was heralded in by free coffee and a people dressed in giant-sized Tim Hortons cup costumes. One reader recounted the scene at 7th Avenue and 50th Street, "Dunkin has hired people to stand outside the store and hand out $1 coupons in retaliation. The donut wars are on, baby! Inside, the store exceeded my expectations from rule-bending shady-operator Riese. Excellent buildout, flatscreen TVs, as good as anything in Gravenhurst or Cobourg or London. Mob scene was very polite (half the customers were Canadian, after all) and there were 20+ staff trying to handle the rush, including a crew of Tim Hortons training managers brought down from Canada." [Speaking of the donut war, check out the Today Show segment about Tim Hortons in NYC after the jump.] more ›
It's Timbit time: After last week's announcement from fast food chain Riese Restaurants that it would convert its Dunkin Donuts franchises into Tim Hortons locations, there were collective cheers from Canadians (and those familiar with the mostly north-of-the-border chain) and a little confusion from DD devotees. According to a press release, nine of its ten Manhattan locations are opening today; two others are opening in Brooklyn (full list of locations after the jump). Tim Hortons considers its new NYC presence in its cap and wants to take the Big Apple by storm; COO David Clanachan said, "New Yorkers are savvy customers, they understand good value and quality. We are focused on earning the loyalty of New Yorkers and adding them to the millions of people who make Tim Hortons their daily stop for breakfast, lunch and snack times." more ›
As dozens of New Yorkers cling to their monitors and tearfully pay homage to the "Time to Make the Donuts" guy in preparation for eleven(!) Dunkin' Donuts locations closing their doors, others are simply refusing to even bear (claw) the thought of patronizing the Canadian Tim Hortons stores that will now be runnin' in Dunkin'. One Upper West Sider told the News, "It's not American. I can't do it." As the Dunkin' in Penn Station started getting disassembled today, one Brooklyn Heights man laments, "I just wanted a cup of coffee. Now I don't know where to go." Hopefully if Tim's 100 gallons of free coffee at that spot Monday is not enough, he'll be able to track down one of the 427 Dunkins within 10 miles. Canadians seem to be enjoying their loon's eye view of our newfound Donut Wars, as a Tim's spokesman shills away, "In Canada, Tim Hortons is a religion so I don't see why it can't be the same kind of situation here." more ›
[S.W.A.G. UPDATE BELOW] Predictably, it's being called the doughnut wars: news that beloved Canadian coffee-and-doughnuts chain Tim Hortons will replace thirteen prominent NYC Dunkin' Donuts locations operated by the Riese Organization on Monday morning has all kinds of North Americans drawing battle lines in the powdered sugar. By the end of next month, sixteen Tim Hortons will be open in NYC, pitting Munchkins against Timbits (thankfully no A-holes are involved). more ›
Pat Kiernan will be very happy: The Riese organization, operators of scores of NYC chain restaurants, is closing its 13 Dunkin' Donuts outlets on Friday and re-opening them as brand-new Tim Hortons on Monday morning. The Nation's Restaurant News' story suggests someone's maple leaf prophecy has come to pass. After being dropped from Riese's roster, Dunkin' released a statement yesterday that alleged, among other things, they're still awesome and "in the past five years 244 new Dunkin’ Donuts shops have opened in New York City." The company also explained that a 2004 lawsuit citing "health and safety violations" led to the "disenfranchisement" decision; Riese denies it and says a five-year contract expired. With Dunkin' dissed and Starbucks plugging away at yet another reformulation, expect an onslaught of free coffee promotions in the next few weeks from all sides, especially around Midtown. The announcement comes on top of previous news that Tim Hortons will open three more locations to be co-branded with Cold Stone Creamery in August, including one inside Cold Stone's flagship Times Square store. Tim Hortons is a megapopular Canadian coffee and snacks chain named for its founder, an NHL record-holder who died in a 1974 car accident. more ›
Coffee and doughnut purveyor Dunkin' Donuts has a new marketing campaign playing out on the city sidewalks. The company has hired a dozen street musicians at $20/hour to help pitch their "Breakfast NOT Brokefast" campaign... but is their message really undermining authentic buskers around town? The NY Post says their message can be broken down as such: "For the spare change you toss a street musician, you could be buying their breakfast fare." The hired hands even have signs propped up against their guitar cases reading: "Sure you want to throw that change in here?" DD's CEO told the paper they're "trying to reinforce the value proposition that money you would normally throw away to a musician you could use to get a cup of coffee or a doughnut." Yes, instead of throwing our spare change to talented musicians toiling for hours underground, let's all put it towards a nice 400 calorie cream-filled, glazed and sprinkled breakfast treat. more ›
Happy National Doughnut Day! What this means for you is, of course, free donuts—and Consumerist points out that free donuts are non-caloric and guilt free. Ah, sweet little lies. It's too bad the Doughnut Plant doesn't seem to be participating in today's events, but there are two ways to get your free fix. Head to the one surviving Krispy Kreme at 2 Penn Plaza and you will get a free donut with no purchase necessary, barring any Kentucky Fried riots. Since business isn't doing so well, however, you may want to get a little something extra while you're there. Meanwhile, over at one of the many Dunkin' Donuts in the city (where they announced a new Toffee donut today) you can get a free donut with the purchase of any beverage. more ›
A study by the Center for an Urban Future, called Attack of the Chains? is showing that Brooklyn prefers Dunkin' Donuts over Starbucks, the Daily News reports. The center's director Jonathan Bowles says, "It has to do with different shopping culture. The Dunkin' Donuts is more a middle-class type of place than Starbucks. Not everybody can afford $4 lattes. It’s more of a working person's Starbucks." The chain has 89 outlets in Brooklyn--71 more than Starbucks in the borough. Plus, chains like KFC and Payless thrive in Brooklyn--but will gentrification slowly replace those shops with Cosi's and J.Crew? The study also provides a borough-by-borough breakdown of what stores are in each borough (did you know NYC only has two Crate & Barrel's?). more ›
Heads up, hipsters: Those keffiyeh scarves, long associated with Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian resistance, are officially ‘so over.’ While the choice of keffiyeh as fashion accessory – at least when sported by sweaty, coked-up white kids mincing for Cobra Snake – has about as much political heft as a neon Che Guevara thong, the trend’s death knell has been rung not by a sudden surge in good taste but by divisive food celebrity Rachael Ray. more ›
The city may be divided on where the first coffee of the day comes from: Starbucks? Dunkin' Donuts? Local caffeine purveyor? Everyone can agree that a free coffee is welcome, though -- especially with prices per cup running about the same as per gallon gas. more ›
A Long Island Dunkin' Donuts employee was arrested for placing a wireless surveillance camera in the ladies' bathroom at a Kings Park Dunkin' Donuts. Danish Qureshi was found out when a nearby resident stumbled onto the electronic peeping. more ›
Whether it was a PR stunt or a legit "teach-in" on espresso, Starbucks shut down for three full hours last night to train baristas --leaving the 5:30 to 8:30pm coffee crowd out in the cold. Today they are back, with a new take on "the customer is always right" policy posted about their stores; it reads: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right." Reportedly they'll also be introducing a honey latte soon; no word on whether the three hour espresso pouring course allowed time for the new beverage. more ›
The football season is over, but news about the Giants and their Super Bowl win never gets old. Here's what's been happening since the ticker tape parade: more ›
Wouldn’t be caught dead with a “latte” from Starbucks or a Coolata from Dunkin Donuts? Well, you haven’t reached the summit of coffee snobbery until you’ve had the self-proclaimed “ultimate” cup of coffee, expertly prepared by computers and pneumatic tubes at the Lower East Side’s Roasting Plant. Since opening last spring, business has been hopping at the sleek Orchard Street café; coffee aficionados are drawn back as much for the fresh coffee as for the experience of seeing it made. more ›
Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston are putting it all on the line for Sunday's Super Bowl. After winning the awful bet from Green Bay, Bloomberg has a lot more riding on the line when the Giants face off against the Patriots this weekend. As is the custom when the playoffs roll around, the mayors of the teams participating decided on a friendly food wager. The stakes, or should we say steaks, are upped in this bet as the Vince Lombardy Trophy are on the line. more ›
...and a thousand Photoshop files were launched! Diane Sawyer may be a veteran journalist and may seem totally unflappable, but even she has totally embarrassing moments. This morning, during a segment unveiling Good Morning America's new holiday windows from the New York Botanical Gardens, she called Mayor Bloomberg a "munchkin." Really: “As a little munchkin, did you come to New York?” To be fair, she was asking Bloomberg whether he visited New York during... more ›
We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness - we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week.
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We doubt that Naomi Campbell eats a lot of doughnuts, but the supermodel is appearing in a television commercial for the Dunkin' Donuts chain. The commercial, that we first noticed at celebrity site IDontLikeYouInThatWay, plays up Campbell's reputation as a woman with a hair-trigger temper and a violent streak. Zach Braff directed the spot. more ›
Blimpies, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, and Starbucks. All these chains have popped up in Greenpoint along Manhattan Avenue since last year. Today, Manhattan Ave. gets an Original Soup Man (aka the Soup Nazi). Gothamist stopped in to sample the wares and went with a bowl of the lobster bisque. We didn't even have to ask for bread, as the franchises seem to give you bread and a choice of fruit for free (sorry, George Costanza). On the downside, the soup was salty and expensive at $9.95 +tax. While pricing like that might fly in midtown Manhattan, it seemed somewhat outrageous for Greenpoint. more ›
When a Dunkin Donuts' manager in Syosset called 911 about a distressed woman, the police were led to a mansion in Muttontown, Long Island. Now, federal prosecutors say that weathly couple Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and Mahender Marliddhar Sabhnani kept two Indonesian woman as prisoners in their home; the U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones said, "The conduct the defendants committed is monstrous. It's truly a case of modern-day slavery." more ›
Two weeks ago, our friends over at Bostonist posted a very scary map plotting more than 50 Dunkin Donuts locations within a five-mile radius of their city’s Downtown Crossing. The actual number of New York Dunkin Donuts locations, parameters widened to include Port Authority based kiosks and airport locations, is likely to be more than a baker’s dozen for any given five mile radius. So yeah, sure, it seems America runs on Dunkin and all that, spokespersonality Rachael Ray is somewhere yummo-ing™ with a Vanilla Bean Coolatta®, and the donut war is over. Resistance is futile. Your donuts will herewith be stale and taste like cake mix. more ›
Inside Edition, better known for covering tabloid stories and entertainment, has found something that mixes the best of both worlds: Looking for rats in NYC restaurants. Perhaps the most famous restaurant goers these days are city rats, and Inside Edition was on them like paparazzi on Britney Spears:
INSIDE EDITION took to the streets of Manhattan between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM peering their cameras and flashlights into the windows of a wide variety of eateries, from fast food places to fine dining establishments. INSIDE EDITION found many of the restaurants shared one common denominator, vermin.Today, part 1 aired, revealing problems at Brazil Grill (787 8th Ave. at 48th Street), Dunkin' Donuts (1093 Second Ave. at 58th Street), KFC/Dunkin' Donuts (761 7th Ave. at W. 50th Street), Burger King (401 Fifth Ave. at E. 36th Street), Arte Pasta (81 Greenwich Ave. Between Bank and West Eleventh), Papaya King (179 E. 86th Street at Third Ave), Va Bene (1589 Second Ave. at 82nd Street) and Cosi (498 Seventh Ave. at 37th Street). more ›
Pictured: Assari Ramen from Menchanko-Tei. more ›
Book-ending 85th street in Jackson Heights, Mama’s Empanadas and Papa’s Empanadas caught Gothamist’s attention on a recent food-finding mission to the borough. more ›
Who doesn't love whipped cream on their hot chocolate? But assaulting a Dunkin' Donuts employee repeatedly over the lack of whipped cream seems to be stepping over the line. The Post calls it "Gal Goes Cuckoo Over Cocoa" in the headline - the "cocoa imbroglio" occurred at a Brooklyn Dunkin' Donuts on Wednesday morning when Aburaykl Rajadaev gave Jasmine Aly her order of a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of hot chocolate. more ›