A Doughnut Shop's Change Leaves a Hole

"Mr. Willard has been absolutely fabulous and conscientious in making sure that all rules have been kept," Sanders said.

It was originally reported in local Jewish media and discussion boards that Willard was being forced to adopt the nonkosher menu items by Dunkin' Donuts corporate management. The company subsequently released a statement saying the move had been "a business decision made amicably between franchisee and franchisor."

Willard would not comment.

According to a corporate spokesman, there are 30 to 40 kosher Dunkin' Donuts in the country, and the company decides their status on a case-by-case basis.

Many in the local Orthodox community remain unhappy with the decision.

"There has been just tremendous disappointment," said Alan Reinitz, executive director of Potomac's Beth Shalom Synagogue. The familiar orange-and-pink boxes of doughnuts were a fixture at congregation gatherings, he said, particularly at birthday parties in the Early Childhood Development Center. And the store itself was a favorite meeting spot.

"When I went in there, inevitably I would know five or six people from the congregation," Reinitz said. "Our options are very limited. I don't know where they are going now."

For the most strictly observant, such as Snapper, the only convenient option after rabbis declared the shop doughnuta non grata was to stay home with their own coffee.

Although there are plenty of overtures to Jewish clientele in the shopping center -- the Giant features a "Passover Superstore" on Aisle 16 and the Berman Hebrew Academy's coming production of "Fiddler on the Roof" is billed in several windows -- none of the other eating establishments is 100 percent kosher.

"You can go in and order a cup of coffee and walk away, but generally speaking, an Orthodox Jew won't want to be seen sitting in a place that serves nonkosher food," Snapper said.

The Dunkin' Donuts, on the other hand, served as a gathering point for Jews seeking warm doughnuts and robust conversation. On Sundays, Snapper said, it was common to see groups of chavrusos, or learning companions, sipping, dunking and arguing religious points.

Snapper said he is keeping his change of routine in perspective even as he continues to regret the disappearance of national kosher outlets in the area.

"Okay, in the history of the Jewish people, the loss of a Dunkin' Donuts is a minor problem," he said. "But people felt this was something pleasant, a place to gather. We have lost something."