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What’s the shortest distance between two Dunkin’s in Mass.?

We went to the source to find out.

These two Dunkin' locations in Revere are on opposite sides of the same street. Google Maps

updated on February 6, 2023

There’s a good joke in here somewhere that starts with something like, why did the Masshole cross the road?

To get to the Dunkin’ on the other side. (Sorry.)

Kidding aside, in some places around here, it feels as if you pick practically any street there will be a good, old Dunkin’.

Consider this: For every 6,500 Bay State residents, there’s at least one Dunkin‘ — at least as of last year.

And in Boston alone, there’s about 85 locations where you can grab a large iced regulah in the dead of winter.

So if it feels like there’s a Dunkies on every corner of the Hub, that’s not necessarily untrue, especially if you’re Downtown or anywhere near Washington Street.

While it may appear like a toss-up, there are indeed two locations whose near proximity is unmatched.

To answer the question of which two Boston Dunkin’ locations are closest to each other, we reached out to Dunkin’ itself to settle it — and some MBTA commuters may already know the answer.

Within Back Bay Station, there are two Dunkin’ kiosks, or walk-up-only counters, which a spokesperson for the doughnut and coffee company confirmed are nearest to one another in city limits.

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While it’s hard to get an exact measurement of the distance between the two, Google Maps puts it in the ballpark of about 120 feet, if that much at all. (Think, just over a third of the way from home plate to Pesky’s Pole on Fenway’s right-field foul line.)

You could probably walk between the two faster than ordering your medium hot, three creams, three sugars.

Dunkin’ also provided information about its closest locations outside of the city and around Massachusetts.

In Kingston, two locations are 1/10 of a mile apart from one another — just across the parking lot, really — at 183 Summer St. and 187 Summer St.

There is a caveat, though: One of those locations is also not a typical store.

While 187 Summer St. is located in an adjacent shopping plaza, the other is within a Gulf gas station.

For any sticklers or purists concerned about this analysis, the company also named two traditional, free-standing locations that are the closest to one another.

In Revere, stores at 30 Squire Road and 35 Squire Road are across the street from each other, adjacent to the same rotary, the Dunkin’ spokesperson said.

So, are Dunkin’ franchisees ever concerned about the proximity of a competitor’s locations?

Of course, says Edwin Shanahan, executive director of the Peabody-based Dunkin’ Donuts Independent Franchise Owners, an organization representing the business interests of franchisees.

“Dunkin’ is so strong in New England and in the Northeast that it does become an issue, but it’s more so an issue in some of the developing markets,” he says.

Still, Shanahan remembers particular concern raised by some owners when Dunkin’ partnered with fellow local brand BJ’s Wholesale Club to begin installing doughnut and coffee kiosks inside the warehouse stores beginning in 2016.

And concerns like that are natural, even anticipated, in business.

“There is a concern there. There’s no question,” he said.

“You really do reach a saturation point,” he added.

But the brand and its offerings also have inherent strengths not all fast food chains share.

Dunkin’ is a coffee-based business, which allows it to sell to the same customer base much more frequently than say, Arby’s, Shanahan says. (Two cups of coffee from Dunkin’ a day? Sure. Two roast beef sandwiches? Maybe not.)

Shanahan’s own commute, at one point, saw him hitting up one Dunkin’ in the morning and another during the evening rush hour, he says.

“Was that over-saturation? Not to me, the customer,” he contends. “It was convenience.”

In short, Shanahan says the Dunkin’ franchise is “an exceptionally good business model, full stop.” Rare is it that a Dunkin’ location goes under.

“If it’s run properly, I don’t think you will see it going out of business,” he says. “And when I say run properly, of course I mean the whole enchilada. We’re talking about the right placement … well-stocked, well-staffed, and good, fast, quality, accurate service.

“If you had those ingredients, I think a lot of franchisees would be hard pressed to drive that business into the ground,” he says. “It’s a good model. Good product, good model, and it works.”

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