Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme - the great doughnut debate

3 am. The soft clicking of a laptop computer is the only noise audible in the otherwise silent hallway. A poor soul delves into the deepest recesses of his mind to find the energy to finish a paper that is due the next morning. More than anything else, the student wishes he were done and longs for his bed. Yet he knows that this paper is worth half of his grade. It is time for a lifesaver - time for a Dunkin's run.

But is the food and drink sold at Dunkin' Donuts as good as it is cracked up to be?

"Our doughnuts are much different than Dunkin' Donuts'," said a customer service representative for Krispy Kreme USA and Canada, which could soon open a store in Medford. "We sell doughnuts that are light and fluffy. The recipe, which is based from yeast rising, makes the difference between a good and great doughnut."

Currently there are no Krispy Kreme shops in New England, but according to the company, a franchise owner has recently bought the rights to open multiple stores in Massachusetts. The names of the owners and the locations of the new franchises have not been released, but rumors suggest that one of the new stores will be in Medford.

Dunkin' Donuts, a staple of New England life since its founding in 1950, has assisted many students in their late-night endeavors. Whether it is a late-night must-have coffee break or a snack for Tufts students painting the canon into the wee hours of the morning, nothing stirs the essence of an individual quite like the smell of fresh-brewed java and the velvety texture of a Boston Kreme.

But freshman Ashley Rios said she prefers Krispy Kremes over Dunkin's donuts because "they are fluffier and they seem to have more sugar in them." But she said that at Dunkin' Donuts, "you get more fore your money."

"I love glazed Krispy Kremes and mocha frappes at Krispy Kreme," senior Kasara Williams said. "It would be good to have a Krispy Kreme around."

Although Williams and other Tufts students are pleased that a Krispy Kreme could soon open in Medford, others remain loyal to the currently available doughnut option.

"I have never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut," senior Alethea Barbarom said. "I like Dunkin' Donuts when they are not stale, but anything that inspires such a following kind of scares me!"

"Dunkin Donuts is better than Krispy Kreme," said Subashini Chandrasekaran, a senior. "My favorite donut is chocolate glazed and I love the original iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts."

Many students find that as exams and paper deadlines approach, caffeine and late night snacks become a necessity.

"Stores and coffee shops that are open twenty-four hours a day are crucial to my existence," sophomore Paula Lobo said.

"I think that 24-hour coffee shops are important for college students, especially during finals because they are a great place to go study or get that extra hit of caffeine," said senior Aditi Gupta.

As the University's coffee shop, Brown and Brew is the destination of many a weary scholar. However, Brown and Brew closes at 1 a.m., and many students who need a caffeine boost later into the night are forced to find a way to the 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts at Porter Square or just past Ball Square. Some believe that the Dunkin' Donuts on Boston Ave. should remain open around the clock.

Other students just do not see the need for a 24-hour caffeine vender.

"I like Dunkin Donuts the best, and I love Boston Kremes, but I'm not a big coffee drinker," senior Danny Pierre said. "Twenty-four hour shops are a good thing I guess, but I don't really think they are necessary."

Laura Brown, senior: "Twenty-four hour shops just don't seem to be that important to me," senior Laura Brown said.

Dunkin' Donuts, headquartered in Randolph, MA, is the largest coffee, bagel and donut shop in the world, with 5,000 locations in the United States and 40 other countries.

The operation began in 1946, when William Rosenberg founded a company, Industrial Luncheon Services, which delivered meals and break snacks to factory workers in the outskirts of Boston. The fantastic success of his business directed Rosenberg to open his first coffee and donut shop, called the "Open Kettle" in Quincy, MA. It was not until 1950 that Rosenberg changed the shop name to Dunkin' Donuts, the chain that has become synonymous with New England.

It is only recently that Krispy Kreme, a southern-based doughnut company, has begun expanding into Dunkin' Donut-dominated New England. But the Krispy Kreme corporation faces a formidable obstacle. According to the company's website, "on a typical day, Dunkin' Donuts serves as many cups of coffee as the Wall Street Journal sells newspapers."