Dunkies by any other name?

Just saw the news that Dunkin’ Donuts is test-driving a name change.

They’ve already got an outlet in Pasadena that goes by Dunkin’, and they’ve got plans for another just plain Dunkin’ to open in the company’s home town, Quincy, Massachusetts, next year.

Say it isn’t so.

One of the inevitables that accompany aging is that things change. The stores, restaurants, amusement parks, and just about everything you grew up with are gone, baby, gone. Not to mention that stores, restaurants, and just about everything else that you frequented as a grown up. They’re gone, too. (Amusement parks tend not to atter quite so much as they did when I was kid: White City, Whalom Park, Paragon Park. Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who’d been to Disneyland, that’s for sure. We went to one of the above. And they’re all long gone.)

Us old timers still give directions by saying “it’s in back of Filene’s”. We still call Macy’s Jordan Marsh. I haven’t lived in Worcester in over 45 years. And other than Friendly’s, I barely ever ate out when I did live there. So how can I still miss the White House? The Gaslight (where I may have eaten once, as an adult, when it was called something else)? In Boston, bring back Purcell’s. Please. We don’t need the cupcake shop and Starbuck’s that took its place.

But Dunkin’ Donuts has been a constant. And it’s been a constant as Dunkin’ Donuts. Or, if you’re a local who grew up with Dunkin’ Donuts, Dunks or Dunkies.

Growing up, we were Dunkies people. There was one just down the road from our church, and after the 8 a.m. Mass, the children’s Mass, which my father also attended – my mother’s big break of the week was going solo to the High Mass later in the morning – we spun over to Dunkin’ Donuts and picked up a dozen donuts. Which eventually became a dozen and a half. And then (can this possibly be true?) two dozen donuts.

Quite a number for a family of seven, especially given that my mother didn’t particularly eat sweets. It’s amazing we didn’t keel over from sugar shock, but, hey, kids were skinny then. We did a lot of running around. And my father had a colossal sweet tooth. We couldn’t possibly have consumed them all on a Sunday morning, could we have?

Anyway, my father loved Dunkies, so off we went.

My only gripe was that, in the summer, my father sometimes refused to buy chocolate covereds, since the icing melted. (Similarly, when we were out for a spin on a summer’s evening, if we stopped for ice cream, but weren’t going to consume our cones at the stand, I couldn’t get chocolate, which would stain the cloth seats in our Ford Fairlane. I guess I didn’t help my case that I always nibbled off the tip of the sugar cone, then wondering why the ice cream leaked out. All over those cloth seats.)

Although I grew up calling Dunkin’ Donuts Dunkies, as an adult I adopted Dunks.

Maybe Dunks is more prevalent in Boston, and Dunkies is a Worcester-ism. But Dunks it became..

Dunks’ CEO Nigel Travis is assuring people that:

…the chain wants to remain the ‘‘No. 1 retailer of doughnuts.’’ (Source: Boston Globe)

Well, that’s a relief.

Not that I consume all that many Dunks in the course of a year. But I’m a fan of the chocolate honey dipped, and do occasionally indulge. (It goes very well with a Dunks’ iced coffee, by the way.) So it’s a relief that even if the company decides not to keep the donut in Dunkin’ Donuts, they’ll nonetheless be keeping donuts on their shelves.

But who knows what will happen? After all, they did get rid of crullers,swapping in “sticks” when they didn’t think we were looking. And who knows? Maybe donuts will become the new cigarette.

And they have been making some changes:

At about 1,000 Dunkin’ Donuts locations, the company has been making cuts to its overall menu, including some doughnut varieties, to make the stores easier to run for franchisees, Travis said. He said too many different types of coffee syrups, sandwich breads, and other items makes it harder on employees.

Hope they haven’t dumped the chocolate honey dipped. I mean, go after one of those ghastly seasonal ones, like the kelly-green frosteds they have around St. Patrick’s Day. But leave the chocolate honey dipped on the menu.

Anyway, if they’re going to change the name, what’s wrong with Dunks or Dunkies? Too Ben Affleck? Too Southie? Did they even test drive the nicknames that have probably been in use since Dunks was founded in 1950.

CEO Travis’ children are plumping for keeping the original name: 

‘‘My two young kids think it should stay Dunkin’ Donuts forever,’’ he said.

Unless they decide to honor the company’s roots and go with Dunkies or Dunks.