The Dunkin Dilemma

History is filled with legendary feuds. The Montagues v. the Capulets. Pepsi v. Coke. Death Row v. Bad Boy records. Paper or plastic. "Tastes great" v. "less filling".

But no rivalry has created more personal angst than the battle of the High Ridge v. Hope Street Dunkin Donutses.

Both are roughly the same distance from my home...and both are purveyors of the 24oz coffees without which I would not be able to function as a human being. But the choice of which location I should go to get myself caffeinated is not a simple one. Which of these two double D's reign supreme? Let's examine the relative merits of Hope Street (HS) vs. High Ridge (HR):

Parking
HS shares the lot parking with CVS and the liquor store; although there are usually spots available, lots of large service trucks tend to pull up right in front of the door and wait there, making general lot navigation treacherous. HR has got the few spots along the main street, plus that cramped lower lot behind Coco Nails. The larger, secondary back lot does provide overflow parking with a major drawback: a walk down a steep-ish hill, or a stroll past the Dumpsters and down thestairs which has the effect of serving you a side dish of Eau de Rotton Garbage - especially in the summer. ADVANTAGE = Hope Street

Food & Drink
HS is usually quicker to offer the menu items (like the flatbread sandwiches). Their bagels, however, are usually overcooked or stale. On the other hand, HR's limited shelf space means that they often run out of critical Munchkin and Donut flavors. This is a HUGE problem, as Munchkins are often deployed in my morning routine and if they have been promised to my kids and are not available, all hell will break loose. I have been caught in this situation a few times and I never want to feel the white hot wrath of a 4 year old denied his powdered sugar orbs again. ADVANTAGE = Hope Street

Hours:
HR opens at 5am. HS is open 24/7, although they pretty much run out of everything after 8pm and the coffee is no longer very fresh. ADVANTAGE = Draw

Line Times
HR's two entrances creates a lot of line tension as the front door entrants jockey for position withthe back door entrants; the tiny counter that creates a jumble of people shouting orders, attempting to retrieve their order, or trying to pay.

HS has a more organized queue with a single entrance, however, they recently removed the back register, disabling the second pay point. So after you get through the line and order your stuff, you have to backtrack to wait for the rest of your order to be brought out. It's inefficient, annoying, and counterintuitive (and yes, lame pun intended). ADVANTAGE = Draw

SERVICE
In general, the level of service (and general friendliness) is higher at the HR location, where you have the nice Russian ladies and the guys with their hats cocked high who will greet you with a cheery "Hey Boss".

HS is a crapshoot and overall the staff (particularly the men) seem much surlier and less attentive. I have ordered the same thing from them at least 3 days a week for about six years, and yet one of the guys (who shall remain unnamed) STILL messes up my order. I have literally said, "Lowfat Blueberry Muffin" and watched him turn around and pull a salt bagel off the shelf. He has the memory capacity of a goldfish.

But each location has their star player. At HS it's Letty. Letty of the pleasant yet no-nonsense demeanor. She'll quickly size up the line flow to judge who the next customer is that she'll serve - and she'll rock their order WHILE they're walking up to the counter. She's so good, I've seen people wave other people ahead so that they can have her get their stuff. And for some reason, her coffee tastes better than anyone elses... even though I get it made the same way wherever I go.

Playing the Notorious BIG to Letty's Tupac is Gloria. Gloria doesn't smile, much. But she moves from coffeemaking to pastry-getting to cashiering with the speed, delicacy, and grace of an Olympic caliber figure skater. When Gloria's got your back, you will have coffee in hand and be out the door in under 1 minute.

This is the toughest one to call. But I would have to give the edge to Letty. I would go there every day just for the chance that my turn in line would magically match when she was serving the next customer. (I'm not brave enough to do the wave-ahead yet) She's a rock star. ADVANTAGE = Hope Street

Because of my awe of Letty, I'm going to have to call it in favor of Hope Street.

Which Dunkin Donuts do YOU prefer? Or are there other Stamford Dunkins out there, with their own Lettys and Glorias,just waiting to be celebrated? (Don't try to sell me on the merits of the Exit 34 Long Ridge location. I have seen the parking...and it is ugly.