Behind the Counter

Every morning, people follow the same routine that I do: wake up, get ready, drive to your local coffee shop, buy your large coffee, and you’re ready to start your day. 

Either in the morning or afternoon, I go to the River Vale Dunkin’ and order the same drink— a large strawberry dragonfruit refresher but water instead of green tea. To some this may be just another Dunkin’, but to me the location at River Vale is different. 

I don’t think I’ve ever met a more cheerful person than Harman, an employee at my beloved Dunkin’— and someone who I’ve never seen without a smile. “Everytime I go there he already knows what I’m going to say,” said sophomore Olivia Lombardo, an avid drinker of Dunkin’ refreshers. No matter the weather, time of day, or the hour of his shift, he’ll always make it a priority to remember our orders. 

Any day for Harman is a good day— “I love working on Mondays. Everybody starts their week off on Monday, it’s a happy Monday for me.” Although my order is weird—  usually garnering puzzled looks on Dunkin’ workers’ faces— Harman embraces the complexity: “It’s different,” he said, “you put water in it and we usually put green tea in it, and sometimes they only put all refresher because of the unusual drink.” 

While he wasn’t interested in telling us a lot about his daily life, his love for people is evident. “When I’m not here I’m shopping, all I do is shop and shop,” Harman said. For what, you might ask? It’s a mystery, he won’t tell.