This has become a hot topic for people who have both a Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts near their home.  A Dunkin Donuts just recently opened up about a mile from my home, and until then I had never really had any of their coffee.  I had always heard it was very good, but just never had a Dunkin Donuts convenient enough to try out.  However, since it has opened I have visited it a few times and now understand what everyone was talking about.  While Dunkin Donuts does not have the aura that a Starbucks has, they can still make some killer coffee.   Atmosphere   One of the downsides to Dunkin Donuts is that it doesn’t feel like a coffee shop, but rather a gas station or convenient store.  They lights are bright and there is a very stale feel to the store.  Seating is much like a fast food restaurant with benches and tables, as compared to Starbucks who has nice couches you can sit on.  Starbucks also has a more homely feel with dimmer lighting and soothing music playing in the background to make you feel good.  I have heard, and seen, Dunkin Donuts do some renovations to its stores to make them a little more inviting, but nothing beats the atmosphere at Starbucks.   Coffee   When I compare the coffee between the two companies’s I am talking about the plain black stuff, not the hyped up mochas or lattes.  Starbucks has a wide variety of coffee that spans come from all over the globe and has many different strengths and tastes.  As compared to Dunkin Donuts which has one brand of coffee that they market as simply Dunkin Donuts coffee.  It would be tough to compare all the coffee’s Starbucks has with the one coffee Dunkin Donut’s has so I will use the house blend from Starbucks for this segment.  For just sheer taste I think Dunkin Donuts has a better coffee.  Starbucks seems to almost burn their coffee which leaves a very strong taste to it, and maybe too much for some people to handle.  However, for those college students out there, Starbucks is the way to go for that caffeine kick.    Pricing   This is where most people would expect Dunkin Donuts to win, with all you hear about Starbucks over priced coffee.  That isn’t necessarily true considering we are talking about plain black coffee here.  Starbucks is actually pretty competitive if you order a regular coffee, and you can usually buy a cup for just under $2.  I believe Dunkin Donuts maybe a little cheaper, but it isn’t a reason to choose one place over the other.  This is a toss up and goes to which ever type of coffee you prefer.   Overall these are two great places to go for coffee, and each place has its pros and cons.  It all depends on what type of mood you are in and more so which place is more convenient.  With that said I continue so switch up my routine between a good cup of coffee from each Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.

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