Stow, Massachusetts Lost Its Dunkin’s, Leaving Residents in Despair

A radio report about the recent closing of two Dunkin' locations has left a town outside Boston in mourning — but has left viewers around the country in stitches.

On Sept. 12, Matt Shearer, a reporter for Massachusetts station WBZ NewsRadio reported about the recent closing of Dunkin’ in Stow, a town a little over 30 miles outside of Boston. In the report, townsfolk lament a closing that leaves the great New England state with a meager 1,072 Dunkin’ locations left, according to the chain’s website. Oh, the humanity.

“There are 351 municipalities in Massachusetts and 1,073 Dunkin’ stores,” says Shearer in a now-viral video which has been viewed over two million times on Twitter. “Further down 495, the town of Stow is a Dunkin’ desert.”

Speaking to several citizens on the streets of Stow, whose population was 7,174, according to the 2020 United States Census, and is 40 square miles, Shearer discovers the palpable despair. Folks openly lament the lack of access to Dunkin’ iced coffee and Munchkins town-wide. You can hear it in the tremble in each interviewee’s voice, including one man who shouts an expletive at the thought.

“Until this year they had two, now they’re both closed. Neighbors are handling it like you might expect,” Shearer states.

“Yeah it sucks,” a woman with a name tag that reads “Elizabeth” tells Shearer. “There’s nothing fun to do and Dunkin’ Donuts was the one place where everyone likes to go.”

“I’m sad, sad for the people of Stow,” another woman adds.

One man is inconsolable because he has been forced to travel a further distance than he ever has had to before for his usual breakfast order.

“I’m bummed out because I’ve been traveling further away to go to Dunkin' Donuts than I ever have before,” he says. When asked how long that is, the man replies, “A mile and a half.”

Taking a look at Shearer’s stories on WBZ NewsRadio’s TikTok, it’s clear that a love for Massachusetts on the local level is what drives the channel’s informative-yet-warm content. For Shearer, that’s because he’s proudly a product of the state.

“I’ve always lived in the same 20-mile radius my whole life, a town called Acton, Massachusetts, which is 20 miles outside the city,” Shearer told TODAY Food. “It’s been about 15 years in the city. And now I live in Framingham.”

Shearer said he got the idea for the Stow Dunkin' while asking the people of Massachusetts what their hometown’s claim to fame was, and one man from Rockland, Massachusetts proudly said, “We have a Dunkin’ there.”

“I included that in the clip because it was so great,” said Shearer. “And somebody in the comments was like, ‘Dead serious question: Is there any town in Massachusetts that does not have a Dunkin Donuts?’ I was like, that’s a great question. So I started looking it up.”

Shearer said he’s happy his story is being beloved far outside the bounds of his state, although shockingly he said doesn’t drink coffee, Dunkin’ or otherwise.

“I do go to Dunkin’ regularly because part of my job is being on the road constantly, but I also have one next to my house like everybody else in Massachusetts,” Shearer said. He added that his go-to Dunkin order is an egg and cheese on an everything bagel — and he holds special affinity for the Boston Kreme doughnut, which he calls “the best doughnut.”

“One thing that I love about why this story is resonating with a national audience is the fact that Boston is exactly like it’s portrayed in the media,” said Shearer. “All the ‘SNL’ skits you see, all the movies — I mean, people in Boston are like that, like Dunkin’ is a way of life. I love that people are so  unapologetically real here in Boston. People aren’t afraid to just tell you what they think.”

We reached out to Dunkin’ regarding the closing shops in Stow, and there may be hope in the future for citizens considering packing and moving to a Dunkin’-rich municipality.

“The Massachusetts community is at the heart and soul of who we are at Dunkin’ today. We hope we can serve Stow again soon,” a Dunkin’ spokesperson told TODAY.

The great Walter Cronkite said “Journalism is what we need to make democracy work,” and never has that been more clear than in this very case. Stay strong, Stow.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com