The Alltown and Dunkin’ in Ashburnham are common places for students at Oakmont Regional High School. Students are often seen here at this location before or after school because of its optimal location, close to Oakmont.
This specific location on 6 Gardner Rd, in Ashburnham, was opened in mid-August 2018. This location used to be a store called Mr. Mike’s Store, then it was fully demolished and rebuilt into the Dunkin’ and Alltown we all know today.
Many Oakmont students say it’s easy to swing by on the way in or out of school. Oakmont freshman Tori McCullin says, “It’s so easy to just get something on the way, you don’t have to drive far out of the way at all,” expressing how convenient it is to just swoop by on the way in or out of school.
But the real question is, “Alltown or Dunkin’?” Which one do students really go for? Do they go in and pick out a snack or drink from the store? Or do they only go just to drive through and grab a drink from Dunkin’? Oakmont junior Zackary Alves said, “Most of the time I just go through the drive-through, it’s quicker and easier than going inside and getting something,” showing that it’s probably a lot easier to just drive through, especially if you’re in a rush to get to school on time.
But it’s not all good for this Alltown; some describe the customer service as “lacking” or underwhelming. Oakmont teacher Ms. Erin Bergin says, “Customer service is difficult, but the folks that work at Alltown and Dunkin’ seem like they take out their anger about past experiences on other customers.” She also says, “They consistently get my order wrong or mixed up,” and the trend continues. Oakmont freshman Ozzy Quiles described customer service as “horrible”. It seems like members of this Oakmont school think some improvement needs to be made.
As easy as it is to just go to Alltown before or after school, when everyone is doing this, it gets pretty chaotic. Oakmont senior Sofi Davidson says, “It can be tough right before and after school hours. It gets pretty chaotic, and the making of food and drinks is often slow.” She also said, “They mess up orders sometimes when it gets very chaotic.”
Food and Drinks
The Dunkin’ inside the Alltown in Ashburnham is known for its fun food and drinks. They offer drinks like coffee and refreshers, and they also offer food like sandwiches, bagels, or donuts, with prices ranging from $1-10. The products there are always very good. Out of all of the Dunkins’ I’ve tried, the quality at this location is specifically better than all other locations.
If they could get more staff to help speed up and improve the accuracy of the orders, I think this Dunkin location could be a top-tier spot for anyone in the central mass area.
Alltown Features
The Alltown on 6, Gardner Rd in Ashburnham, is a convenience store where you can buy items, fill up on gas, and get a car wash. They offer a variety of grab-and-go food and drinks, also offering unique features like propane exchange.
The one reason why I would prefer to go to this Alltown rather than any other gas station is the checkout. They have two worker-run checkouts like all other gas stations.
The one main thing that stands out about Alltown is the self-checkout kiosk. To be able to skip the line, scan your items super quickly, and check out all in a matter of seconds is huge. It saves so much wasted time rather than having a worker scan all of your items. Oakmont sophomore Mikey Belcher says, “It’s a lot easier to quickly scan your items on your own, the self-checkout saves so much time.”
Overall Review
As an overall view of the Alltown in Ashburnham, it definitely needs some work, but you can’t debate that it is extremely convenient. We sure are lucky to have a place so close and easy to get to. It’s convenient, easy, and quick for students and teachers alike.
Although this Alltown has improvements to be made, Alltown shows where it counts. Convenient location, fairly quick service, solid food and drink options, and a clean, easy in and out atmosphere. It may not be perfect, but it plays a major role for Oakmont students and teachers surviving the school day.
