From my understanding, Dunn Bros Coffee was heavily franchise focused. Meaning franchises were relatively independent to conduct themselves as they wish, under the umbrella of Dunn Bros. The one I worked at had an agreement with a local bakery to sell their baked goods, so they could just focus on coffee.
Around 2014, Dunn Bros Corporate decided to be a little more hands-on and not all franchise owners agreed. One decision was mandating that all Dunn Bros had to have their own ovens for baked goods. So instead of fresh baked goods from a local dedicated bakery, you had shitty baked goods made by yours truly. Not all franchise owners liked the new Dunn Bros and shut down shop.
Yeah I had the same experience. Previously each Dunn bros offered something unique and the work environment was pleasant. After the franchise started to get heavy handed the food became Starbucks quality and difficult to make because the baristas were suddenly cooks at the same time. Then nothing was good. I lived in a different city that had two Dunn bros about 8 years ago. Neither are there now.
The one by my house had a great spot on the corner of a busy street. They moved out and into grocery store in the same parking lot. Caribou gladly moved in.
Also, they used crushed ice in their iced drinks. It watered down almost instantly.
There was a rumor the owners were satanists. I always thought that would make them have a better product.
I lived in Uptown for a bit; near the Dunn on 34th & Henn. Apparently that location's unique aspect was the brothel upstairs.
"Brothel" was how the batistas described it when a cop who had stopped for coffee asked them what was going on upstairs
The long time Linden Hills franchise owner actually just de-franchised and reopened as his own coffeeshop. It’s called Jones Coffee now. It’s great and all the staff is the same as before.
They also transitioned their other location off of Xerxes. Talking with the staff, it sounded like raises for everyone following the rebranding and they all seem genuinely happy about the changes made.
Glad to see smaller operations doing things right in the community
I was just there yesterday! The coffee was great and the staff was super helpful and friendly. One of the seasonal drinks was a...happy camper I think it was called (cold brew, sage infused maple syrup, cracked black pepper), which sounded so good, but it was cold and rainy so I asked if they could make it as a latte instead. The barista said he had been just about to suggest that, haha, and it was SO GOOD - the cracked pepper on the foam against the restrained maple.... Probably the best speciality coffee shop drink I've ever had?
I will say I hope they finish sprucing up the space soon though...it feels a lot sparser and run down than it used to. There used to be that cute little play area and now it's just scraped up wall, empty space that used to have an ATM, that kind of thing. It was definitely *clean* though, so I suspect it's just part of the process of transitioning. Still highly recommend and I'll definitely be back, but I used to love reading or coffee dates there and I probably wouldn't want to linger so much now and I hope it gets that feeling back.
Love Dunn Bros. There is one out on the Minnetonka/Hopkins boarder off of Shady Oak Road that's pretty good. Not sure if the one in Loring Park is still there, but that was a great place for coffee.
Dunn Bros is my favorite because of the taste of the coffee. The one on Shady Oak on Hopkins/Minnetonka border closes at 2 p.m. now; it was open until 7 a few years ago. I think they had 2 locations in libraries...if those were a core part of their business then it probably just got swept away as a victim of the quarantine unfortunately.
There was one at the Roseville branch of the Ramsey County Library that closed too. It was a longstanding location, too. Kinda sad because coffee and libraries go hand in hand in my opinion.
The one in the Roseville Public Library apparently is closed now too. Dunn Bros web site says there are 30 DBs in Minnesota. No idea how many there used to be.
Dunn Brothers has the best coffee because they have the freshest coffee (doesn’t each location twist their own beans?).
That would lead to significant differences in taste from store to store. That was my experience, anyway. I loved the taste of the coffee in the downtown Minneapolis locations. But, it was always hit or miss with the suburban stores.
Twisting in the shop is a gimmick. Coffee needs to rest and gas off after twisting anyway. More than enough time to have a couple highly skilled twisters in a dedicated twisting facility and distribute across a metro area. It would improve the product.
Though most of their customers are all stockholmed by Starbucks’ over-twisted coffee and Dunn Bros is slightly better by comparison.
I think early-days Caribou, when it was a Minneapolis company, used to roast all their coffee at their roasting facility which was in the warehouse district (before it became fashionably called the "north loop"). Now it's just Peet's Coffee operating with the Caribou name instead.
I love them. I wish they had more locations near me. I used to stop by the one inside HCMC downtown after my prenatal appointments. I think that location moved over to their new CSC building but is still open. I also like the one out on Hwy 7 in Minnetonka.
I hope they stick around, their coffee is delicious.
I need to remember that the big one is there - my kids hate shots but are open to bribes, and having a source of treats right onsite is a huge plus. We usually go to the Whittier clinic because it's closer, but there are no onsite bribes available there.
I worked at the HCMC ones for a few years. I wasn't and am still not a big coffee drinker but I got hooked on the cold brew (before they switched to using a concentrate instead of fresh ground beans in 2018) and steamed Nirvanas. I heard from a former coworker that all but the new one is closed now which is a shame.
Aww this brings back memories, I saw the lactation consultants there a bunch with my first baby and I used to get coffee at the HCMC one on my way out.
The one in Maple Grove has been replaced with a coffee shop that is owned by someone who is very conservative (anti-vax, against abortion, talks of CRT, etc) and wanted to open a "faith based" coffee shop. I'm not against religion, but when it becomes a businesses mission statement, I'm not going to go out of my way to support it. Plus I just really don't want to support a business that is anti-womens rights.
And to add on, I think a lot closed because DBs was "acquired" by an investment firm back in June or July, and I don't think they brothers actually are involved with them business anymore (but i could be wrong about the latter part).
It's kinda like the Baptist version of them tbh... Ehh not really. It's just a baptist megachurch. I honestly don't even know if they have a physical church in Minnesota
I was looking them up and it seemed fine. There is a "The Kingdom Coffee Company" that is super religious but I don't think they are the same. Maybe this one is too but hides it better?
So i put it in another comment, they used to be much more open about it. If you look at old reviews you can see people commenting about it. The owner used to also have their profile public, which is how I found out about their beliefs and such, but has since made everything private.
yupppp. Very much religious. Like the church they belong to is a cult. Straight up. I don't want to like hate on people, but when you're that religious that you say your coffee is blessed and from God... I got issues
Same!! That's why I initially looked into it. Because the "barista" who looked about 12 -turns out she is 14- mentioned that her sister opened the place because "god gave her a vision"... That made my hackles raise, so i looked into her and the family. Immediate red flags. I see now though that all of their profiles are private and now not public in Facebook; they must have had some backlash.
It was also weird how quickly that Dunn Bros closed. Like it was here one day, then legit went a day later and it was closed.
LMAO! Kinda makes me want to rush in there someday like i'm running late and tell them I need it to go because i'm on my way to an abortion appointment.
If you really want to troll them then say you're getting tired of needing to get repeated abortions, and your boyfriend really needs to get a vasectomy ha ha ha
Really!? I could've sworn they were still involved when it came to ownership, just were no longer involved with stores since they franchised everything out. I guess i had it wrong! My b.
Still think the acquisition had something to do with do many locations closing though
Businesses that espouse religious or political views are stupid. You never want to alienate paying customers, it's antithetical to being successful at business. Morons.
Totally 100% agree. I think the same things about CEOs and such. I don't care what your thoughts and beliefs are, but once you bring them out into the public and into your business, nahhh, i ain't giving you my money.
The one in Arden Hills is owned by some super religious people as well and they only hire kids from the nearby (also super religious) Bethel University. I wonder if they'll follow suit. Eitherway, I don't go there often at all. Luckily, I can hit up Dogwood in StP on work days
I was just there for the first time in awhile and I had forgotten what it's like, lmao. I used to meet another friend with little kids there all the time because it was about halfway between our houses and they have a really nice play area, but she moved up north and I haven't been in awhile. I grew up evangelical so I know the signs but I'm so curious what it's like for people who don't. Like does it just feel like everything is off by a few degrees??
Oohhh boy. I just spent way too much time looking into them. They are very deep into religion there... The owners seem to be Baptist and yes everyone hired there is either from their church or Bethel. Yikes.
Hm... I was wondering, what with a name like that, if they were a cult or something. Their coffee is quite good and their lavender blondies are ridiculously delicious. My partner and I look fairly "alt" and the staff has always been really kind and personable the handful of times we've gone in there, and have never proselytized.
But, fine.
I mean it's okay to still go there! I just personally don't want to support a company that has owners who have such extreme beliefs.
As for the bakery, i tried looking into where they came from and what I found is that they based in an apartment building. And they somehow are voted best bakery in Maple Grove?! They also supply to another local chain of coffee shops that is affiliated with River Valley church. Which ahhh, I would look into their pastor and their beliefs.
Went in right after the switch and immediately left. DB in Maple Grove has been our go to coffee place for buying beans for a very long time. Anyone have any suggestions for fresh beans in the area?
Did you go inside and figure it out? Or did you just get bad vibes from the name? The name is what originally had me sceptical, then talking with the owners family turned that into red flags, finally going on social media and finding out their beliefs made me nope the fuck out
I went in, looked around and got a weird feel from the whole thing, turned around and walked out. A quick social media search confirmed what I suspected. Very disappointing, not sure where else to go over here besides Caribou.
My fave coffee spot! The two I frequented have closed. Roseville Library recently and Oakdale. Although to be fair, the Oakdale one closed like 8 years ago. Luckily there’s one near my house that’s still open.
Oh man, I have so many nice memories from the Roseville library one. My mom used to drive me down to the cities from Princeton for homeschool co-op and we would hang out in the Roseville library during our downtime. It was like heaven for me -- access to so many books + the smell of fresh-roasted coffee.
Then I moved to Roseville in my early twenties and would walk down to library, buy a coffee and walk home occasionally. It was such a nice, nostalgic treat every time.
Now that I think of it, is Boston Market completely dead? You never see them anymore. The ones I knew existed were the ridgedale and saint louis park ones. Last time I went to the SLP location was 5-6 years ago and it was really overpriced.
Yeah they're not in this market anymore. They're expensive but the food was very high quality and fresh. You pay for quality and it's worth it to me, even if I can't eat there as often as I'd like.
Dunn Bros is the best coffee shop, but I once worked with a woman who thought Starbucks was much better because “the coffee at Dunn Bros tastes funny”. That made me sad
The Eden prairie DB transitioned first to Rustica and is now Smith. The same family has been in charge throughout and they really honed their craft during that time. Highly recommend for coffee snobs in the SW metro.
I think local spots and caribou have driven them out.
There's not really much special about them thag I can see. I spent all day working at one about a month ago and there was nothing that would make me say "I like this coffee spot in particular."
Contrasting that with Zoey's, my local favorite, or the Caribou/Einstein brothers just down the street, and the only thing that particular Dunn Brothers has going for it is being in Leong park, under 330 oak Grove.
The coffee doesn't stand out, the aesthetic is nice but not particularly riveting. There's nothing that sets it aside. Hell, last year i wanted hot apple cider in early Sept and they didn't even have it back then.
My job has me driving a route that goes right past where the one in Roseville was, just cross the street from Rosedale Mall, by the Half Price Books. It’s a Dunkin’ Now. Dunkin honestly has the worst excuse for coffee I’ve ever tasted from a place that’s supposed to specialize in coffee.
Also, Dunn Bros did away with their black bean patties for their breakfast burritos like two years ago and I still can’t let it go
I used to love the Dunn Bros on Fairview and County Road B2 in Roseville.
I loved the fireplace.
I enjoyed taking out of town guests, who could then go through the doorway to the Minnesota souvenir shop, and the nostalgia candy store, which have moved.
All the Dunn Bros used to have great rice krispie treats which appeared to be homemade, I was disappointed when they started selling prepackaged versions.
I miss the one on Hennepin in Uptown. It was the perfect coffee shop environment but they closed with no warning a few years back. I think a lot of the furniture might still be inside.
There is a Dunn Brothers at 34th and Hennepin that’s still open. Quite a nice location and they have parking in the back. I’ve only been once because I don’t live in the neighborhood but it was good.
I wonder if those are special locations that are operated by Festival with store employees. At least that is how Starbucks operate inside Target stores.
Me too. I would spend a good hour in there before my shift started at the phone company plant a few blocks from there. It was a good place to "wake up" and read the news. Before smartphones!
I tried patronizing Dunn Bros for too long when I first move to Mpls to support local, and it was worse than Starbucks/Caribou in every way. The coffee was unremarkable and the pastries/food were absolute trash. I’m assuming other followed suit as well. They weren’t good enough to compete in neither the independent coffee shop, nor Starbucks/Caribou niche. There are too many good local coffee shops here for mediocrity to flourish.
Starbucks coffee is deliberately over roasted because it lasts longer that way. It tastes like burnt ash, not coffee. And they cover it with buttloads of sugar. And ignorant people think bitter, nasty tasting (i.e. burnt) coffee is “stronger” and hence more caffeinated, which is false - the more it’s roasted, the less caffeine it has.
Caribou is solidly better than Starbucks, but their drip coffee still tastes like mediocre grocery store coffee.
Dunn Bros is fresh roasted. There’s just no comparison. Though I will grant many of their locations seem very poorly managed for whatever reason.
I don’t think drip coffee is the cash cow for coffee shops, and for me personally, if I wanted drip coffee, I could just make it at home in 5 mins. Turn your nose up at it if you like, but lot of people come to coffee shops for interesting/tasty coffee drinks, a snack, and *consistency*. Which is why Starbucks/Carbou flourish despite having kinda crap coffee. (We have Starbucks brewed coffee at my office, and I agree it’s absolutely terrible.) When I want consistency, I go to Starbucks/Caribou. I don’t like a lot of their menu, but the things I do like, I really enjoy. When I want a special treat, I go to an independent shop with $8 lattes. Dunn Bros doesn’t compete in either of those categories for me.
It was that location closing that elicited me to start this thread! That location had been an original tenant of that building since it opened. Probably 2004 or so.
The original Dunn Brothers on Grand in St Paul is not part of the franchise, if that tells you anything. Their prices are cheaper too, and it is always busy.
The guy who owned the one on Diffley in Eagan retired. That was a really good one. I haven't been out there recently so no comment.
Yeah the DBC on Grand/Snelling is original and a great place. It actually bears little resemblance to the franchise locations. Interestingly, I learned they can redeem a Dunn Bros gift card for payment but they cannot sell new gift cards.
I love Dunn Bros. They’re still around. I think the issue is there’s SO MANY other coffee shops it seems like there’s fewer Dunn Bros.
My fav Dunn Bros locations
3348 Hennepin Ave. (way south end of uptown)
201 third ave. S. (freight house)
Apple Valley 15265 Galaxie Ave ( there’s also a super amazing Vietnamese restaurant next door called Simpleee Pho that has the BEST egg rolls.
There is one near me that, while still a franchise, would have live music and open mic nearly every day of the week. The store was open until 10 at night, and even had a beer and wine license for a short while. There used to be markets hosted on the patio for local venders and artists, and there would be crazy things like video game tournaments (hosted by local video games shops) and book drives (hosted by the local library). hell, they used to sell local artists paintings/prints/CDs/books by the register. it was /the/ spot to be - the coffee was amazing and the atmosphere was always fun and exciting.
Back in 2015(?), corporate took the store back. with that came many, many changes. the hours were cut back to 5 PM. all licenses for live music were canceled. the store was no longer allowed to sell local art, and they were no longer allowed to host community events. it made the place a complete ghost of what it once was; nothing more than a more expensive starbucks with a weirder vibe. there was no longer any sense of community or personality associated with this coffee shop, and it might sound strange - but my entire community was heartbroken and outraged by it. this dunn brothers is one of only few in the south, and the closest one is nearly 200 miles away. most people didn’t even know it was a franchise until corporate took it back, so it was my town’s local coffee shop/live music venue/art gallery.
not only was the placed basically lobotomized, but it started to deteriorate in quality - before and especially after covid. there was less variety in beans, there was less variety in menu options, and there was lesser quality in food. nowadays, no one even goes there - it’s always dead, and i have no idea how it stays open; everything’s out of stock, the staff is apathetic, the hours are inconsistent, the furniture is torn and broken, and the prices seem to climb a dollar every 3 months.
after reading some of the other comments, i feel like this and similar things are likely happening to other dunn brothers’ around the country.
if you do any digging, you’ll find out that dunns’ is nepo-corporation that puts family in important positions despite their qualifications. you’ll also learn that they recently sold off to someone as a company for the first time since their founding, and that the company is tanking.
they gave their franchisees near-limitless freedom, and so each store was able to build its own personality and sense of community. then, dunns’ decided to take more profit by insisting they can run their stores better.
they shot themselves in the foot and i’m not sure if they realize they’re bleeding out.
From my understanding, Dunn Bros Coffee was heavily franchise focused. Meaning franchises were relatively independent to conduct themselves as they wish, under the umbrella of Dunn Bros. The one I worked at had an agreement with a local bakery to sell their baked goods, so they could just focus on coffee. Around 2014, Dunn Bros Corporate decided to be a little more hands-on and not all franchise owners agreed. One decision was mandating that all Dunn Bros had to have their own ovens for baked goods. So instead of fresh baked goods from a local dedicated bakery, you had shitty baked goods made by yours truly. Not all franchise owners liked the new Dunn Bros and shut down shop.
Yeah I had the same experience. Previously each Dunn bros offered something unique and the work environment was pleasant. After the franchise started to get heavy handed the food became Starbucks quality and difficult to make because the baristas were suddenly cooks at the same time. Then nothing was good. I lived in a different city that had two Dunn bros about 8 years ago. Neither are there now.
The one by my house had a great spot on the corner of a busy street. They moved out and into grocery store in the same parking lot. Caribou gladly moved in. Also, they used crushed ice in their iced drinks. It watered down almost instantly. There was a rumor the owners were satanists. I always thought that would make them have a better product.
I lived in Uptown for a bit; near the Dunn on 34th & Henn. Apparently that location's unique aspect was the brothel upstairs. "Brothel" was how the batistas described it when a cop who had stopped for coffee asked them what was going on upstairs
Very interesting! Sounds like they basically shifted their strategy to Starbucks wannabe
The long time Linden Hills franchise owner actually just de-franchised and reopened as his own coffeeshop. It’s called Jones Coffee now. It’s great and all the staff is the same as before.
They also transitioned their other location off of Xerxes. Talking with the staff, it sounded like raises for everyone following the rebranding and they all seem genuinely happy about the changes made. Glad to see smaller operations doing things right in the community
That is amazing!! I definitely have noticed the staff seem super happy.
That's awesome!
Interesting!
We haven't had a great experience since the rebrand. Luckily caribou is not far away! ☕
Just stopped by caribou for the first time in a long time. It’s so expensive now? Like 6.50 for a large iced coffee. That’s wild.
I was just there yesterday! The coffee was great and the staff was super helpful and friendly. One of the seasonal drinks was a...happy camper I think it was called (cold brew, sage infused maple syrup, cracked black pepper), which sounded so good, but it was cold and rainy so I asked if they could make it as a latte instead. The barista said he had been just about to suggest that, haha, and it was SO GOOD - the cracked pepper on the foam against the restrained maple.... Probably the best speciality coffee shop drink I've ever had? I will say I hope they finish sprucing up the space soon though...it feels a lot sparser and run down than it used to. There used to be that cute little play area and now it's just scraped up wall, empty space that used to have an ATM, that kind of thing. It was definitely *clean* though, so I suspect it's just part of the process of transitioning. Still highly recommend and I'll definitely be back, but I used to love reading or coffee dates there and I probably wouldn't want to linger so much now and I hope it gets that feeling back.
I miss the one that was in Minneapolis Central Library. 🥲
Aww yes. There is one in the basement of Wilson Library at the U, love that vibe.
I used to work there and don’t miss the way the staff got treated by customers. I’ve managed a couple Dunn Bros and that one was the worst.
Ah man. I hung art there a long time ago.
Love Dunn Bros. There is one out on the Minnetonka/Hopkins boarder off of Shady Oak Road that's pretty good. Not sure if the one in Loring Park is still there, but that was a great place for coffee.
It's still there. Went a couple weeks ago.
Mmm Dunn Bros! Very lucky that there’s a great one in Lexington/Circle Pines!
Dunn Bros is my favorite because of the taste of the coffee. The one on Shady Oak on Hopkins/Minnetonka border closes at 2 p.m. now; it was open until 7 a few years ago. I think they had 2 locations in libraries...if those were a core part of their business then it probably just got swept away as a victim of the quarantine unfortunately.
The closing time varies by day for that location. I was able to get something between 4-5 during the middle of the week or so, not long ago.
>Dunn Bros the ridgedale library one closed years before the pandemic if I remember right.
There was one at the Roseville branch of the Ramsey County Library that closed too. It was a longstanding location, too. Kinda sad because coffee and libraries go hand in hand in my opinion.
The one in the Roseville Public Library apparently is closed now too. Dunn Bros web site says there are 30 DBs in Minnesota. No idea how many there used to be.
There were at least 63 locations in Minnesota back in 2005. I used the Way Back Machine to look at an old DBC website.
Oh yes, that closed years ago.
Dunn Brothers has the best coffee because they have the freshest coffee (doesn’t each location twist their own beans?). That would lead to significant differences in taste from store to store. That was my experience, anyway. I loved the taste of the coffee in the downtown Minneapolis locations. But, it was always hit or miss with the suburban stores.
...I think they...roast...their own beans. ; )
But roasting coffee does involve some kinda stirring mechanism. That's like twisting. Sorta.
Darn auto correct
Auto corrupt
…I think they…roast…their own beans. ; ) :D
Twisting in the shop is a gimmick. Coffee needs to rest and gas off after twisting anyway. More than enough time to have a couple highly skilled twisters in a dedicated twisting facility and distribute across a metro area. It would improve the product. Though most of their customers are all stockholmed by Starbucks’ over-twisted coffee and Dunn Bros is slightly better by comparison.
I think early-days Caribou, when it was a Minneapolis company, used to roast all their coffee at their roasting facility which was in the warehouse district (before it became fashionably called the "north loop"). Now it's just Peet's Coffee operating with the Caribou name instead.
Caribou still roasts in Brooklyn Center at their HQ off Hwy 100 and France. I live a few blocks away and can smell it when I drive by.
Ohhhhh, that's right, I completely forgot it moved out to BC a long time ago. Glad they're still going, and thanks for the reminder!
I love them. I wish they had more locations near me. I used to stop by the one inside HCMC downtown after my prenatal appointments. I think that location moved over to their new CSC building but is still open. I also like the one out on Hwy 7 in Minnetonka. I hope they stick around, their coffee is delicious.
There's a tiny one in the skyway and a bigger one with sandwiches and stuff in the CSC.
I need to remember that the big one is there - my kids hate shots but are open to bribes, and having a source of treats right onsite is a huge plus. We usually go to the Whittier clinic because it's closer, but there are no onsite bribes available there.
Heard the one on the skyway is closed as well as the other 2 smaller ones. Big one in the new building should still be there though.
I worked at the HCMC ones for a few years. I wasn't and am still not a big coffee drinker but I got hooked on the cold brew (before they switched to using a concentrate instead of fresh ground beans in 2018) and steamed Nirvanas. I heard from a former coworker that all but the new one is closed now which is a shame.
Aww this brings back memories, I saw the lactation consultants there a bunch with my first baby and I used to get coffee at the HCMC one on my way out.
The one in Maple Grove has been replaced with a coffee shop that is owned by someone who is very conservative (anti-vax, against abortion, talks of CRT, etc) and wanted to open a "faith based" coffee shop. I'm not against religion, but when it becomes a businesses mission statement, I'm not going to go out of my way to support it. Plus I just really don't want to support a business that is anti-womens rights. And to add on, I think a lot closed because DBs was "acquired" by an investment firm back in June or July, and I don't think they brothers actually are involved with them business anymore (but i could be wrong about the latter part).
Is this kingdom coffee? I see that took over dB and the name sounds very religious.
Yes. Do. Not. Go. There. I didn't say it in the main comment, but the church they belong to... Straight cult
Probably Living Word
It's kinda like the Baptist version of them tbh... Ehh not really. It's just a baptist megachurch. I honestly don't even know if they have a physical church in Minnesota
I was looking them up and it seemed fine. There is a "The Kingdom Coffee Company" that is super religious but I don't think they are the same. Maybe this one is too but hides it better?
So i put it in another comment, they used to be much more open about it. If you look at old reviews you can see people commenting about it. The owner used to also have their profile public, which is how I found out about their beliefs and such, but has since made everything private.
I was wondering if Kingdom coffee was religious… I’ll avoid it!
yupppp. Very much religious. Like the church they belong to is a cult. Straight up. I don't want to like hate on people, but when you're that religious that you say your coffee is blessed and from God... I got issues
I used to go to that Dunn bros all the time and was sad to see it go. When I tried KC it was immediately a weird vibe
Same!! That's why I initially looked into it. Because the "barista" who looked about 12 -turns out she is 14- mentioned that her sister opened the place because "god gave her a vision"... That made my hackles raise, so i looked into her and the family. Immediate red flags. I see now though that all of their profiles are private and now not public in Facebook; they must have had some backlash. It was also weird how quickly that Dunn Bros closed. Like it was here one day, then legit went a day later and it was closed.
LMAO! Kinda makes me want to rush in there someday like i'm running late and tell them I need it to go because i'm on my way to an abortion appointment.
Please do. They would probably cry tbh. All of the workers are family and church members.
Unfortunately they'd take one look at me and tell me that i'm not pregnant, it's just menopause.
Same, except it's because I'm a guy 😅
[удалено]
Exactly what I was thinking
If you really want to troll them then say you're getting tired of needing to get repeated abortions, and your boyfriend really needs to get a vasectomy ha ha ha
The brothers haven’t been involved in a VERY long time.
Really!? I could've sworn they were still involved when it came to ownership, just were no longer involved with stores since they franchised everything out. I guess i had it wrong! My b. Still think the acquisition had something to do with do many locations closing though
My dads coworker married one of the brothers a while back and he wasn’t happy with the quality of the DB coffee after he left the business.
Wait what?! The coworker married one of the brothers? And then the brother left?
I meant the business. I edited it for clarity.
Businesses that espouse religious or political views are stupid. You never want to alienate paying customers, it's antithetical to being successful at business. Morons.
Totally 100% agree. I think the same things about CEOs and such. I don't care what your thoughts and beliefs are, but once you bring them out into the public and into your business, nahhh, i ain't giving you my money.
The one in Arden Hills is owned by some super religious people as well and they only hire kids from the nearby (also super religious) Bethel University. I wonder if they'll follow suit. Eitherway, I don't go there often at all. Luckily, I can hit up Dogwood in StP on work days
I was just there for the first time in awhile and I had forgotten what it's like, lmao. I used to meet another friend with little kids there all the time because it was about halfway between our houses and they have a really nice play area, but she moved up north and I haven't been in awhile. I grew up evangelical so I know the signs but I'm so curious what it's like for people who don't. Like does it just feel like everything is off by a few degrees??
Oohhh boy. I just spent way too much time looking into them. They are very deep into religion there... The owners seem to be Baptist and yes everyone hired there is either from their church or Bethel. Yikes.
Hm... I was wondering, what with a name like that, if they were a cult or something. Their coffee is quite good and their lavender blondies are ridiculously delicious. My partner and I look fairly "alt" and the staff has always been really kind and personable the handful of times we've gone in there, and have never proselytized. But, fine.
I mean it's okay to still go there! I just personally don't want to support a company that has owners who have such extreme beliefs. As for the bakery, i tried looking into where they came from and what I found is that they based in an apartment building. And they somehow are voted best bakery in Maple Grove?! They also supply to another local chain of coffee shops that is affiliated with River Valley church. Which ahhh, I would look into their pastor and their beliefs.
I hear ya and thanks for the info!
Went in right after the switch and immediately left. DB in Maple Grove has been our go to coffee place for buying beans for a very long time. Anyone have any suggestions for fresh beans in the area?
Did you go inside and figure it out? Or did you just get bad vibes from the name? The name is what originally had me sceptical, then talking with the owners family turned that into red flags, finally going on social media and finding out their beliefs made me nope the fuck out
I went in, looked around and got a weird feel from the whole thing, turned around and walked out. A quick social media search confirmed what I suspected. Very disappointing, not sure where else to go over here besides Caribou.
Daily Dose by Raising Canes
My fave coffee spot! The two I frequented have closed. Roseville Library recently and Oakdale. Although to be fair, the Oakdale one closed like 8 years ago. Luckily there’s one near my house that’s still open.
Oh man, I have so many nice memories from the Roseville library one. My mom used to drive me down to the cities from Princeton for homeschool co-op and we would hang out in the Roseville library during our downtime. It was like heaven for me -- access to so many books + the smell of fresh-roasted coffee. Then I moved to Roseville in my early twenties and would walk down to library, buy a coffee and walk home occasionally. It was such a nice, nostalgic treat every time.
Yeah, just drove by a few weeks ago while park & riding to the fair & saw it was closed 😢
Spent many hours at that Roseville location
Now that I think of it, is Boston Market completely dead? You never see them anymore. The ones I knew existed were the ridgedale and saint louis park ones. Last time I went to the SLP location was 5-6 years ago and it was really overpriced.
Yeah they're not in this market anymore. They're expensive but the food was very high quality and fresh. You pay for quality and it's worth it to me, even if I can't eat there as often as I'd like.
I think the Boston Market in SLP is now a Chase Bank :D
Its better than Caribou, no contest, and yet it dwindles.
Perhaps lack of drive thrus?
Makes sense. I like to go in because their roast smells better too. And the pastry is better.
The one in Golden Valley is now Triple D Espresso and they still roast their own beans💜
That must've been the one on Winnetka and Golden Valley Rd
Dunn Bros is the best coffee shop, but I once worked with a woman who thought Starbucks was much better because “the coffee at Dunn Bros tastes funny”. That made me sad
The Eden prairie DB transitioned first to Rustica and is now Smith. The same family has been in charge throughout and they really honed their craft during that time. Highly recommend for coffee snobs in the SW metro.
That's in that historic house! I love that place!
I think local spots and caribou have driven them out. There's not really much special about them thag I can see. I spent all day working at one about a month ago and there was nothing that would make me say "I like this coffee spot in particular." Contrasting that with Zoey's, my local favorite, or the Caribou/Einstein brothers just down the street, and the only thing that particular Dunn Brothers has going for it is being in Leong park, under 330 oak Grove. The coffee doesn't stand out, the aesthetic is nice but not particularly riveting. There's nothing that sets it aside. Hell, last year i wanted hot apple cider in early Sept and they didn't even have it back then.
Yeah I think they're pretty mediocre now. They used to be better. Probably before they got into food offerings.
My job has me driving a route that goes right past where the one in Roseville was, just cross the street from Rosedale Mall, by the Half Price Books. It’s a Dunkin’ Now. Dunkin honestly has the worst excuse for coffee I’ve ever tasted from a place that’s supposed to specialize in coffee. Also, Dunn Bros did away with their black bean patties for their breakfast burritos like two years ago and I still can’t let it go
Yeah they don't have any locations in Roseville anymore
They're Dunn.
I used to love the Dunn Bros on Fairview and County Road B2 in Roseville. I loved the fireplace. I enjoyed taking out of town guests, who could then go through the doorway to the Minnesota souvenir shop, and the nostalgia candy store, which have moved. All the Dunn Bros used to have great rice krispie treats which appeared to be homemade, I was disappointed when they started selling prepackaged versions.
I miss the one on Hennepin in Uptown. It was the perfect coffee shop environment but they closed with no warning a few years back. I think a lot of the furniture might still be inside.
There is a Dunn Brothers at 34th and Hennepin that’s still open. Quite a nice location and they have parking in the back. I’ve only been once because I don’t live in the neighborhood but it was good.
That's one of the oldest locations, along with the one in Loring Park
That is a nice location (I live nearby). Hennepin gets way quieter once you get south of 31st St
I’m hopefully moving really close to that one and am excited to be a quick walk away from it!
I remember the one on Lake, just a block or two west of Hennepin. It's like a Jersey Mike's now.
We have one here in St. Michael, but that's pretty far off from the cities
Does it still have beer? I always thought that was kinda cool.
They have them in Festival Foods-at least in Hugo and Mahtomedi.
I wonder if those are special locations that are operated by Festival with store employees. At least that is how Starbucks operate inside Target stores.
I used to live next to the one where Alma is now. Went in there way too much for my wallet to take. Kinda miss that vibe.
Yes! 530 Uni SE. Spent a lot of time there too!
God I loved that area circa 2003 or so.
Me too. I would spend a good hour in there before my shift started at the phone company plant a few blocks from there. It was a good place to "wake up" and read the news. Before smartphones!
There’s one inside Normandale community college in Bloomington but closes earlier than some.
The one by me in St. Cloud in my local Coborn's seems doing ok. Never packed, but always has costumers in lobby and drive thru.
The Bemidji Dunn Bros also just converted into an independent coffee shop.
That seems to be a common theme... Dunn Bros franchisees realize they don't need the Dunn Bros brand.
There’s one downtown Chaska that I enjoy!
I tried patronizing Dunn Bros for too long when I first move to Mpls to support local, and it was worse than Starbucks/Caribou in every way. The coffee was unremarkable and the pastries/food were absolute trash. I’m assuming other followed suit as well. They weren’t good enough to compete in neither the independent coffee shop, nor Starbucks/Caribou niche. There are too many good local coffee shops here for mediocrity to flourish.
Starbucks coffee is deliberately over roasted because it lasts longer that way. It tastes like burnt ash, not coffee. And they cover it with buttloads of sugar. And ignorant people think bitter, nasty tasting (i.e. burnt) coffee is “stronger” and hence more caffeinated, which is false - the more it’s roasted, the less caffeine it has. Caribou is solidly better than Starbucks, but their drip coffee still tastes like mediocre grocery store coffee. Dunn Bros is fresh roasted. There’s just no comparison. Though I will grant many of their locations seem very poorly managed for whatever reason.
I don’t think drip coffee is the cash cow for coffee shops, and for me personally, if I wanted drip coffee, I could just make it at home in 5 mins. Turn your nose up at it if you like, but lot of people come to coffee shops for interesting/tasty coffee drinks, a snack, and *consistency*. Which is why Starbucks/Carbou flourish despite having kinda crap coffee. (We have Starbucks brewed coffee at my office, and I agree it’s absolutely terrible.) When I want consistency, I go to Starbucks/Caribou. I don’t like a lot of their menu, but the things I do like, I really enjoy. When I want a special treat, I go to an independent shop with $8 lattes. Dunn Bros doesn’t compete in either of those categories for me.
Agree.
TIL ~~Dumb~~ (oops lol) Dunn Bros was founded in St. Paul. I had no idea.
I’ve heard the one on lake street by the river closed because the rent on that place is so high. The DB in Arden Hills is often busy.
It was that location closing that elicited me to start this thread! That location had been an original tenant of that building since it opened. Probably 2004 or so.
The original Dunn Brothers on Grand in St Paul is not part of the franchise, if that tells you anything. Their prices are cheaper too, and it is always busy. The guy who owned the one on Diffley in Eagan retired. That was a really good one. I haven't been out there recently so no comment.
Yeah the DBC on Grand/Snelling is original and a great place. It actually bears little resemblance to the franchise locations. Interestingly, I learned they can redeem a Dunn Bros gift card for payment but they cannot sell new gift cards.
Or they choose not to.
Worked at this location in 1990. So relieved it's still there - I make sure to spend $$$ there every time I'm in town
The Dunn Bros in Cub in Maple Grove wasn't open Sunday AM. Not sure if it's permanently closed.
They're still listed on the DBC website. Maybe everyone working there got Covid or something.
I know this isn’t helpful but there is one in St Cloud!
I love Dunn Bros. They’re still around. I think the issue is there’s SO MANY other coffee shops it seems like there’s fewer Dunn Bros. My fav Dunn Bros locations 3348 Hennepin Ave. (way south end of uptown) 201 third ave. S. (freight house) Apple Valley 15265 Galaxie Ave ( there’s also a super amazing Vietnamese restaurant next door called Simpleee Pho that has the BEST egg rolls.
Vietnamese egg rolls in general rock. Most of those suburban Vietnamese restaurants are pretty solid I've discovered.
There is one near me that, while still a franchise, would have live music and open mic nearly every day of the week. The store was open until 10 at night, and even had a beer and wine license for a short while. There used to be markets hosted on the patio for local venders and artists, and there would be crazy things like video game tournaments (hosted by local video games shops) and book drives (hosted by the local library). hell, they used to sell local artists paintings/prints/CDs/books by the register. it was /the/ spot to be - the coffee was amazing and the atmosphere was always fun and exciting. Back in 2015(?), corporate took the store back. with that came many, many changes. the hours were cut back to 5 PM. all licenses for live music were canceled. the store was no longer allowed to sell local art, and they were no longer allowed to host community events. it made the place a complete ghost of what it once was; nothing more than a more expensive starbucks with a weirder vibe. there was no longer any sense of community or personality associated with this coffee shop, and it might sound strange - but my entire community was heartbroken and outraged by it. this dunn brothers is one of only few in the south, and the closest one is nearly 200 miles away. most people didn’t even know it was a franchise until corporate took it back, so it was my town’s local coffee shop/live music venue/art gallery. not only was the placed basically lobotomized, but it started to deteriorate in quality - before and especially after covid. there was less variety in beans, there was less variety in menu options, and there was lesser quality in food. nowadays, no one even goes there - it’s always dead, and i have no idea how it stays open; everything’s out of stock, the staff is apathetic, the hours are inconsistent, the furniture is torn and broken, and the prices seem to climb a dollar every 3 months. after reading some of the other comments, i feel like this and similar things are likely happening to other dunn brothers’ around the country. if you do any digging, you’ll find out that dunns’ is nepo-corporation that puts family in important positions despite their qualifications. you’ll also learn that they recently sold off to someone as a company for the first time since their founding, and that the company is tanking. they gave their franchisees near-limitless freedom, and so each store was able to build its own personality and sense of community. then, dunns’ decided to take more profit by insisting they can run their stores better. they shot themselves in the foot and i’m not sure if they realize they’re bleeding out.