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Health & Fitness

Potential Dunkin' Donuts on East Side Causing Commontion

The proposal of Dunkin’ Donuts going into the east side train station in Lake Forest is causing a lot of commotion (See comments: Dunkin' Donuts Franchise Eyes East Lake Forest Train Station). Some people are already so excited, and it is not even a done deal yet. Others are worried about the traffic congestion, the lack of “local” stores, and the obesity that such fast food joints will bring. These are all realistic concerns that should be addressed.

However, when considering the history of fighting big chains in Lake Forest—such as the most recent with Costco—that ended up going just over the toll way in Mettawa, did Lake Forest really win? Many Lake Foresters go there every weekend and the taxes are going to our neighboring town. The traffic congestion is not much worse than before either. Now, that does not mean that it wouldn’t change on the east side—and with a drive-thru in an already small parking lot there would need to be some structural changes. Additionally, when Lake Forest fought McDonald’s into coming to Lake Forest on Waukegan Road, not only did the city end up paying several hundred thousand dollars to only have it end up being in Lake Forest anyway. Of course, it hardly looks like a McDonald’s, but that is hardly the point.

In the Lake Forester, Commissioner Guy Berg described the drive thru set-up as “an accident waiting to happen.”  In the proposed plan, vehicles would enter the drive thru from Deerpath, going through the parking lot to the queue in the drive thru on the south side of the depot building. Customers would order at the menu board with a speaker mounted on the ground, then continue in the designated drive thru lane to pick up their order. They would have to stop before reentering the parking lot and eventually exiting onto Westminster.

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While Lake Forest does have several coffee shops on the east side alone—Caribou Coffee, Starbucks Coffee, Caputo’s, Einstein’s, and Gerhardts—they are all managing to maintain their spots in Market Square. The argument for a local “mom and pop” store is a valid one, especially with the recent push to “shop local.” However, unless they actually bid on the storefront, Lake Forest cannot simply give a local company the storefront so that Dunkin’ Donuts does not get it, and they most likely do not have the funds to succeed there. The city is taking Dunkin’ Donuts proposal seriously because out of all the proposals theirs was the strongest one.

Obesity is a rising problem in America, and while in Lake Forest it does not always appear that way, it is true that more than one third of U.S. adults are obese. Additionally, approximately 17% of children in the United States are considered obese.

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While Dunkin’ Donuts may have high caloric options (Chocolate Coconut Cake donut is 550 calories), they also have some healthier options (Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wrap is 150 calories and has 7 grams of protein).  Just like at Caribou, Starbucks, Caputo’s, Einstein’s, and Gerhardts, there are healthy choices at each coffee shop if you want to make it.  

The city has said that the proposal will need to be worked on before they can support it.

If this plan does succeed, the drive thru would open at 5a.m. and close at 11p.m. daily.
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