Megan and Mark Pesce, the Concordian couple who own the Dunkin’s around town, have always made community the focal point of their business. For years, they donated coffee and treats to local sports teams and generously gave to fundraisers and philanthropic events. They also made a point of giving back to the amazing community of employees who make Dunkin’ run so smoothly every day – creating shifts for mothers’ hours, giving high school students a chance to learn new skills, and providing free language classes for employees who wanted to learn English. The Pesces took pride in creating a fun and supportive workplace for their whole staff.
That effort created a strong foundation that saw the Dunkin’ team through an incredibly trying time when COVID shut down the town in 2020. The lockdowns, quarantines, and partial openings would continue for more than a year – stretching the business to the limit.
Weathering the Storm
The Dunkin’ employees pivoted quickly to do all they could to keep customers – and the team – as safe as possible during the pandemic. As soon as the guidelines allowed, the team created a system of curbside (contactless) pickup – with employees running outside in rain, snow, and cold dozens of times each shift. Inside, teams cleaned high touch points every 30 minutes. A detailed contact tracing and quarantine system protected customers and team members. Everyone juggled to help the single moms left with no childcare as schools closed.
“Everyone really came together to support one another,” said Mark Pesce. “We were blown away by the dedication, the commitment to each other, and the can-do attitude of our entire team during one of the hardest times we’ve ever experienced together. We are so grateful.”
Fuel the Fight
Finding Strength in Giving Back
The Dunkin’ commitment to community provided a great focal point to lift everyone’s spirits during COVID. Hundreds of meals were donated with love to the Fuel the Fight effort to support health care workers. Team members brought smiles to kids’ faces at Halloween by dressing up in costumes – including the team at one store who dressed as ‘healthcare superheroes’ complete with capes! And when Mark and Megan were able to buy a large batch of N95 masks, they donated more than 300 to the school system to help keep teachers and kids safe.
Renewed and Excited for the Future
Mark and Megan have been making plans to renovate the Thoreau Street store with a new design that showcases the community that means so much to them.
“There is one word that most sums up how we made it through such a difficult time – and that is community,” said Megan Pesce. “Our amazing team of dedicated and hardworking employees and the incredibly supportive people in Concord made a world of difference. Our hearts are so filled with gratitude. It was a really difficult time and we are relieved to still be here – serving up good food and great coffee - in the town we love so much.”
Stop by and say hello to the hardworking team at any of the Concord Dunkin’ stores (there is a coupon for a free donut with any purchase at the back of this publication) and follow the latest happenings on Facebook at Dunkin’ of Concord and Instagram @concorddunkin.