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Donut Boulevard

by FRANK O'DONNELL
APRIL 6, 2006

It's official. Mineral Spring Avenue is ready to be renamed Donut Boulevard.

With the addition of another Dunkin' Donuts to this bustling thoroughfare, it only seems right.

As one who travels the route regularly, I can tell you this new DD is in just the right spot – west of Smithfield Road, halfway between the Getty and police stations.

And not a moment too soon.

Until now, if one wanted the true Dunkin' experience, one was forced to drive a half-mile out of  Centerdale to the DD on Route 44. But, that's in Johnston, and you know how we North Providence folks feel about leaving town. Or, one could go the other way, across Douglas Avenue to either of the DDs on the way to Pawtucket.

The good news is, no more driving an extra two minutes to get your breakfast combo or late afternoon turbo latte. Got a hankering for a corn muffin and a medium hazelnut, two creams, no sugar? You're covered, at just about every turn.
Let's count, shall we?

To be fair, we'll count all the coffee and donuts spots along the way.
And we'll start in Centerdale.

Technically, the Honeydew behind and under Ace Hardware and the new Tim Horton's across the street in the Post Office complex aren't on Mineral Spring Avenue. But, if you're coming into town from Johnston and traveling east on Mineral Spring, you've got to pass them.

We'll call that the Mineral Spring Avenue Extension, and call those numbers one and two.

About a mile up on the left is the new Dunkin' Donuts – opening soon, says the sign out front. That's number three.

I guess we'll have to agree not to count the coffee an' stops at the Cumberland Farms and Sam's stores along the way. It's not their main source of income, and while you can get both coffee and donuts there, it's not the same.

The next Dunkin' Donuts is perhaps a mile and a half down, after crossing Smithfield Road and Douglas Avenue. It used to be the Quikava Drive-Thru, but that's long gone. Interestingly, the double-sided service of the Quikava days is gone – a metal bar blocks the driveway on the right, forcing you pass the store as you travel east before you can get in line to place your order. That's number four.
Number five is just the other side of Lexington, next to Julio's. It's been completely redone, but really, does that make a lot of difference in your combo selection?

There's a Tim Horton's built into the Shell station just before you get onto Route 146 South. And if you miss it, there's a Dunkin' Donuts built into the Shell station on the other side of Route 146. Numbers six and seven.

Backing up a bit, there's a persistent rumor that a new Tim Horton's is going to be built in between the two Dunkin Donuts on either side of Lexington, on the vacant site across from the car wash. That would be number eight.

Not bad for a road that stretches maybe five miles from border to border.
Eight donut shops.

My buddy Lou had a great idea. For the next election, we'll put the voting machines into the donut shops along Mineral Spring Avenue (soon to be Donut Boulevard). It looks like every district is covered. If one isn't, not to worry, there's still plenty of time to put a donut shop up in the uncovered district.

It's a win-win-win situation.

Vital municipal services like schools and fire stations will not have to shut down.
While waiting in line for their shot at the polls, voters can enjoy a hot beverage, perhaps a little pastry. Plus, poll workers wouldn't have to leave for lunch, or have lunch brought into them. Lunch would be right there.

And we can guarantee an absolutely tamper-free election. After all, who's going to try any funny business in a donut shop voting booth, especially since the cops are spending the day there anyway.