Southie Coffee Shop Gets Big Plug From Mayor Walsh During Senate Hearing
BOSTON (CBS) - During Thursday's Senate confirmation hearing, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was asked about the cost of living. His answer put one local shop in the national spotlight.
Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) asked Mayor Walsh how much he paid for a cup of coffee in the city.
"Last cup of coffee I paid for in Boston was probably at Doughboy Donuts. And it was $1.75," Walsh answered.
And with that, the Southie shop became the talk of the town. For the record, a small cup of coffee here will run you $1.90.
"It's ok he got it wrong," said the owner of Doughboy Donuts, Phyllis Fandel. "The mayor always gets a medium coffee, which costs $2.40."
Fandel told us Mayor Walsh has been a loyal customer for decades. "I mean years. Before he was the mayor, he used to go the drive thru every day. He still does," Fandel said. "If he comes in and there are customers here, he buys everybody coffee."
Thursday's plug is getting the shop a lot of attention. Fandel said phone lines were busy with calls from folks near and far.
Although Fandel was too busy working the counter to entertain their requests, she says she welcomes the attention – operating during the pandemic has been a struggle.
"Business is down. But I'm thankful that we have a job that we can come to work, we still can get a paycheck. There's no extra but my girls want to work," Fandel said.
Doughboy Donuts has been a staple on Dorchester Avenue for 43 years. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Popular among the MBTA employees who work in the yard across the street. One end of the shop serves donuts and coffee, the other end is a deli. There's also a drive thru.
"Ninety eight percent of our customers are workers," Fandel said. "We're really lucky to be open there's so many places that are closed. I just hope [people] know we're here and hopefully we won't be going anywhere. And we hope the mayor does really well in Washington."
