Despite Renegotiated Lease, Bow St. Dunkin' Donuts Faces Uncertain Future

Although the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins store at the corner of Mass. Ave and Bow Street will continue serving customers after its lease was renegotiated last week, the length of its tenure in Harvard Square remains unclear.

“We were fully prepared to close on September 26…[T]hat Dunkin’ Donuts at 1 Bow St. has renegotiated its terms with the property management company and will be staying open until further notice,” wrote franchise owner David G. Carvalho in an email to The Crimson. Carvalho operates all four Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Harvard Square.

But the retail space still appears to be available for lease, according to the properties listed on the website of Crosspoint Associates—a real estate management company headquartered in Waltham, Mass., that oversees the property where the eateries are located.

The Coop president Jeremiah P. Murphy, Jr. ’73 whose company owns the property at 1 Bow St., said he believes the agreement between Carvalho and the real estate management company on the lease may not be long-term.

“I believe the two parties came to a short-term agreement to cover the time needed for firming up a new tenant,” Murphy wrote in an email to The Crimson. “This would be in the best interests of everybody if there was an operating business in the space until a new tenant takes over, instead of an empty storefront.”

Realtors from Colliers International, who are selling the lease, and a public relations representative for the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise under RF|Binder declined to comment.

Carvalho declined to disclose further information on the lease. “We look forward to continuing to keep guests at this location running on Dunkin’,” he wrote.

From the moment that signs were posted on Sept. 17 announcing the location’s closing until their removal on Sept. 24, the loss of the iconic coffee and ice cream shop became a subject of student and community interest.

The storefront claims a particular prestige after being featured in the film “Good Will Hunting.” Matt Damon could not be reached for comment.

—Staff writer Nikki D. Erlick can be reached at nikki.erlick@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @nikkierlick.