Caffeinated clash drives wedge between Starbucks, Dunkin' devotees

The classic mainstream coffeehouse rivalry: Dunkin’ Donuts versus Starbuck. This tale of two competitors has recently made its way into the Oshkosh scene. Seemingly in response to Dunkin’ Donuts’ summer 2021 opening and skyrocketing popularity, Starbucks has launched a counterattack by opening a large new store on the same street as its biggest competitor. With the stores set up to be footsteps away from each other, the argument of supreme coffee supplier once again threatens to boil over.

Junior Angelina Wang is set with her opinion on the best coffee joint.

“I prefer Starbucks because I feel like it has a more organized way of getting coffee,” she said. “It just has more options. I’m not sure about Dunkin’ but I do know for sure that Starbucks has vegan options, dairy-free, it’s very customizable.” 

Junior Sunny Wolf agrees with Wang.

“I think Starbucks just tastes better and it’s more consistent,” they said. “The only good thing about Dunkin’ is that it’s cheaper and they have good donuts.”

Wang is convinced that Starbucks reigns superior, even with the added category of sweet treats. 

“I prefer Starbucks cake pops just because it doesn’t get messy,” she said. “It’s quick, it’s easy with your coffee. With the donut, you’re going to get your hands all dirty, and the glaze gets everywhere, all over your mouth.” 

Although Wang and Wolf are hardcore Starbucks lovers, there are other students with more mixed opinions. Senior Anika Larson weighs the good side in Dunkin’. 

“Dunkin’ is way cheaper, which is great,” she said. “But because of the donuts, I’ll have to go with Dunkin’ even though I like the coffee way better than Starbucks. I go to Dunkin' because it’s closer to my house.” 

For senior Ella Nguyen, the preference comes down to the time of the year.

“I like Starbucks when it hits around winter or fall because they just have better drinks for those seasons, but personally Dunkin’ is best in the summer,” she said.

Sometimes, different factors are more important than the overall taste. For Junior Emma Marino, the little differences of the environment make or break the experience. 

“Starbucks is better because the drive-through is easier to go through,” she said. “I also feel like Starbucks customer-service is way better.”

Senior Samantha Lightner places accessibility high on her ideal coffeehouse list.

“The Dunkin’ drive through is shaped like a ‘U’,” she said. “What is going on with it? It’s so inconvenient.”

Senior Emma Young may be a bit influenced as an employee at Starbucks. 

“I prefer Starbucks,” she said. “That may be biased, but I just feel like everythings very fresh when it comes to your drink.”

Although Young has a favorite out of the two chains, she still finds herself drinking and visiting both competitors. 

“I feel like the customer-service based and our customer focus really brings us out more than Dunkin’ but I still find myself going to Dunkin’ here and there for an iced latte or even donuts,” she said. “I think that our cake pops are good but something about Dunkin’ donuts in the morning with a hot latte- it’s a game changer.” 

Junior Kera Scott is an employee at Dunkin’. She takes on a different viewpoint than Young.

“I do prefer Starbucks, only because their flavors are different tasting than ours,” she said. “I just like it a little more.”

From a student worker perspective, both Dunkin’ and Starbucks employees describe an under-staffed environment. Young feels it can be a turn-off for others considering working in the industry. 

“Just like every other place, we’re understaffed because of Covid and people not being able to work,” she said.  “There’s also just the aspect of people who aren’t so nice to customer service workers. That’s hard to deal with, but it’s not anything to outweigh the good of working there.”

Junior Dunkin’ worker Deyanaria Facundo also feels the difficulties of working during thinly-stretched times. 

“There’s some scheduling things because we’re understaffed,” she said. “Working behind the scenes, it has to be fast or you’ll get yelled at. It’s more fast-paced.” 

Despite challenges, Young doesn’t regret choosing to work at Starbucks. 

“I’ve worked a lot of jobs since I started working at 14,” she said. “I think what’s different is not only is it the most customer service-based company that I’ve ever worked for, it’s also the first place where I’ve made real connections with the people I work with, in work and outside of work.”

Scott is also confident that working at Dunkin’ is a smart choice that comes with appealing benefits.

“I recommend working at Dunkin’, and we’re actually hiring right now,” she said. “My favorite part is definitely the free stuff because I drink a lot of coffee. The ice cream is nice too.”

Young first became interested in working at Starbucks due to her strong appreciation and patronage for the store. 

“Before working at Starbucks, I used to go to Starbucks and drink coffee every single day,” she said. “It was always like a very inviting place to go to and very customer-service based. I feel like I’m really good with customers and making connections so I said ‘let’s give her a shot’ and now I work there.”

Young feels fortunate and grateful for all of the opportunities she has received from her workplace.

“I’ve learned so much more about myself and my skills as a person and as a worker,” she said. “Starbucks has really given me the opportunity to express who I am and make connections that I never would have without working there.”

In regards to the new Starbucks being built on the same street as Dunkin’, each person has their own thoughts on the situation and the future of the coffee houses. Larson was unaware of the new incoming Starbucks and is ready for a change.

“I didn’t know they were building a Starbucks,” she said. “I’m super excited now, I’ll be 

patronizing it.” 

Ngyuen also takes a positive outlook on the situation.

“I think that’s awesome because it’s closer to my house and the other Starbucks is too crowded all the time.”

Facundo thinks that there will be an initial surge due to excitement and promotions.  

“When Starbucks opens, it probably might get more business than Dunkin’ because they might have some sort of promo deal or app deal,” she said.

Scott sees the Starbucks opening as an opportunity to take a break from busy lines and a bustling shop.

“It’s kind of relieving actually,” she said. “More people are going to go over there and it’s less work. It’s just the beginning was a little rough because of how busy it was, but it’s a lot better now. But at the same time, it’s kind of a bad thing.”

Young feels that there will be no major upsets. 

“I think it is kind of odd that it is literally right next to Dunkin’ and not too far away from the other Starbucks on Kohler,” she said. “I think the first week that it opens a lot of people will just be curious. As far as taking away business from Dunkin, I think you have your Dunkin’ lovers that love Dunkin’ to the core and I don’t think it will affect them as much either.”

By Hannah Chung

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 1

October 6th, 2021