Drop it Like it’s Hot: Dunkin Donuts Edition

Before Bostonist could make it to one of the hundreds of Dunkin’ Donuts locations to try their Caramel Creme and Mocha Almond latte flavors (just released for the holidays), we heard about a contest: Free coffee for life - could it be true? Dunkin’ Donuts is asking patrons to tell their story about the great lengths to which they’ve gone for a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. With a location within arms' reach* anywhere in the city, Dunkin’ Donuts is exceedingly convenient, but Bostonist has to admit that sugar and cream with a little bit of coffee tastes just as good no matter where we buy it. Entries in the contest must be received by next Monday (November 28) to qualify. If you’ve descended Mt. Washington, Mt. Everest, or Mt. Kilimanjaro just to grab a cup o’ arabica, Bostonist is sure you’ve got a leg up on this contest. John Glenn can’t claim a return trip to Earth for this contest, though: it isn’t open to Ohio residents.

You may, dear reader, be in the same position Bostonist is right now, slogging through Monday and pining for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up-in-a-cup (and all the more eager to go so you can compete in the contest). But after we heard last week on Marketplace about the Staten Island woman who is suing Dunkin' for burns from hot coffee, we’re a bit wary about going out and fetching some for the office. The New York woman is suing our very own Canton, MA-based Dunkin’ Donuts for $15 million, which must be for pain and suffering, because we can’t imagine that the hospital bills from 2nd and 3rd degree burns are going to add up to quite that much, even in New York. You may remember, as Bostonist vaguely does, the $3 million settlement that McDonald's paid in the early nineties when a woman spilled a cup of coffee on her lap. “Caution Contents Hot” now adorns to-go cups near and far. We’re on the edge of our cardboard cup trays, trying not to spill, thinking about what this might mean for Dunkin’.

*When Bostonist looked up our downtown zip code in the store finder to substantiate our "within arms reach" claim the map appeared with United States Bankruptcy Court centered. Foreshadowing?