<p>Today's issue of the Phoenix, the weekly student newspaper, informs us that a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins will be opening on the site of the former Michael's Pharmacy in Swarthmore Village in May '06. For those of us paying attention quite a while back, interesteddad gave us this news months ago.</p>
<p>Go dad...........</p>
<p>Yum, healthy!</p>
<p>fun sucker.........you are sucking the fun outta this thread.</p>
<p>But, don't vacuum it.</p>
<p>kellymegreener, I doubt you are a 17 yo female who is going to Yale, or that you have ever been to Swarthmore, as your information is highly inadequate, and your enthusiasm for or interest in Yale do not exist. </p>
<p>I do not know what Swarthmore has done to you in the past, perhaps you or your children had a prior affiliation that soured. It really is not necessary for you to pose as a HS senior to make your point anymore, you have revealed your dissatisfaction with the school. You appear to have anyhow given all of your opinions that you could have invented, based upon your posing as a HS senior with a 2 day visit. You think that Swat is overall not a place that you or your children want to be. So point made, how about moving on and trolling elsewhere now?</p>
<p>back to the dukin donuts, i live in swat, and feel it is nessecary to mention the controversy surrounding the building of it... swarthmore is historically opposed to commerical chains, and so therefore was opposed to dunkin donut. a white cloth resureant was initially suggested, but the person interested in starting the rest. was disqualified due to exorbitant rents. Then the owner of the property accused the town of being racist because the storefront was vandalized (because chains are apparently traditionally owned by minorities...yeah). Then no one heard about it for months and now it is here, and we are all unhappy.</p>
<p>Just some background</p>
<p>Without the ability to get a liquor license and with the dozens of dining options a half mile away on the Baltimore Pike, a restaurant in that location would be doomed to fail. The only shot would be a destination ethnic restaurant, like a well-known sushi chef with a following. Maybe a really good student pizza joint would work there, but as you say, the rents are too high (without a liquor or beer license).</p>
<p>A Starbucks would be popular, but there's already one just a few blocks away.</p>
<p>I have my doubts that the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins will do well, but it probably has the best shot of anything I could think of. At least it's a good "munchies" option. It beats a real estate office.</p>
<p>The article makes it appear like a mixed decision, and that the owner of the franchise is going to put the money in to improve the building inside and keep its original architecture. Perhaps it would have been better to get an independent restaurant and/or healthier option, but that obviously wasn't able to happen. They will have good hours, and they have decent bagels, OJ and lowfat ice cream and sherbet if you want to avoid the high fat fare there. They have tried to upgrade their coffee. Sounds like at least it gives students a place to go, and there are worse things in the world than ice cream on a hot night.</p>
<p>Collegialmom, thank you for your consistency in these threads. Anyone Swat parents here don't like (or in other words, anyone pointing out shortcomings or truths or even critical opinions of Swat, even its own students and alums) is mean or cruel or bitter or mistaken or fake. At least you're consistent.</p>
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At least you're consistent.
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<p>So are you. Like a broken record.</p>
<p>We are talking about a business in the town of Swarthmore. It has nothing to do with the college. Kinda like when a new crack house opens in New Haven.</p>
<p>About the Dunkin' Donuts, most of my friends and I are pretty excited about it. Some of the other places like that on Baltimore Pike are not fun to walk to when it's super cold (or maybe I'm just a thin-skinned southerner, lol). It'll be nice to be able to run down to the Ville and grab ice cream and whatnot, and if it's open later (say, past midnight), it'll probably attract people wanting to grab a quick bite after Sharples and Tarble close. I think the Ville has regulations, though, that keep places from being open from 1-5 am, so we'll see how that goes. It would really be sweet if it accepted our Swat meal cards and meal points, but that would probably be too big of a hassle for dining services and the admin. Granted, only being second semester frosh, I don't know the Ville as well as most, but I think that the Dunking Donuts/Baskin Robbins has potential to succeed.</p>
<p>They generally have tables to sit at (not like some ice cream places that don't), so it may turn into a student hang-out, esp at night for food, coffee and ice cream. They do have sandwiches, if you like eggs chicken or meat.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the nutrition information, for what it is worth the chicken panini, although it has 420 calories, only has 90 of them from fat!</p>
<p>And they now have 9 different flavours of coffees, plus lattes. As a vegetarian, I always have had a predilection for Dunkin' Donuts when travelling because of the bagels, as opposed to other fast food restaurants that have all meaty or fried choices (or pathetic salads).</p>
<p>As to the meal card being used there, there are definitely models for that at other colleges, but my guess is that Swarthmore will stick to the on campus options for dining choices, because once they start including one restaurant, they will have to include more, and that decentralizes the dining. My understanding is that they have only one main dining hall not just because of the smaller size of the school, but for promoting a sense of community.</p>
<p>Listen, with all this talk of health issues and all, I think it's worth mentioning that the gym and facilities (according to my sophomore son) is pretty good at Swarthmore. He is impressed so far. He makes it to the gym at least 5 times a week.</p>
<p>Making it there is a problem especially for the people on campus....down the hill and all that in the snow. But once you make it there, the facilities are impressive..</p>
<p>I can say with certainty that my junior son has not availed himself of the gym and related facilities 5 times in 2 1/2 years! It is very trying being the very athletic mom of a very un-athletic child. I am only speaking for health purposes of course. Just when you think they're really smart, they refuse to listen to your well-reasoned pleas to get regular exercise. Ah, yes, that's the common sense portion of S's brain that's still in development.</p>
<p>Well, my daughter just called. She's excited about being able to get a cup of coffee after 10 p.m. I didn't ask her if she was planning on getting a donut to dunk into those cups of coffee.</p>
<p>I think a well-balanced diet can include donuts. Especially with coffee at 11 pm when there is studying to do. Caffeine + sugar, it really does work (anyhow tofu at midnight just doesn't seem right).</p>
<p>No argument about the caffeine + sugar combo. After all, I loaded her up with Luna bars when she went back after break and I'm shipping her some chocolate tomorrow.</p>