Five Questions With A Dunkin' Donuts Family

What started 23 years ago in Vernon Circle by Antonio Pacheco has become a true family affair.

He bought the Dunkin' Donuts there at a time when coffee seemed to be coffee and doughnuts were doughnuts.

And times have changed. Now four family members - Derek Pacheco, Nicole Pacheco, Tracy Neves and Mario Neves own 17 Dunkin' Shops. They have five in in Vernon (including the one that recently opened at Lafayette Square), three in Manchester, and their ownership extends to Mansfield, Storrs, Tolland and South Windsor in north central Connecticut. 

They all said they "would not he here'' without Antonio and called the opportunity to own Dunkin' franchises "a blessing.'' They are talking about expanding to 19 by the end of the year.

Patch sat down with them and asked five questions for the Executive Suite:

1. OK, you can get anything on the menu anytime you want. What is your favorite?

"Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. What else could it be?"

2. Does coffee represent a high percentage of sales?

"It's about 45 percent iced and hot coffee, and that is not including specialty coffee drinks. Don't forget, Dunkin' Donuts has an extensive food menu."

3. You mentioned you may extend to 19 shops by the end of the year. Do you have a target area?

"We have been looking at Ellington for a while. We are just trying to find a location that works for us in town."

4. Currently, your Vernon Circle shop is open 24 hours. Do you have any other candidates to stay open all day and night?

"The Lafayette Square Dunkin' Donuts. When you are near the highway, you have to. We are working on getting a billboard for that Dunkin' Donuts."

5. So that means Lafayette Square is a good location?

"We think this is a home run. McDonald's left to be next to Burnger King and there is really no room over there for us. We looked at our location as soon as McDonald's left. It's always great to be near the highway."