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\u201cWhere else am I gonna hang out and get food?\u201d Naomi, 13, said. \u201cIt\u2019s big. It\u2019s fun. The vibes are just so fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miri Shaw, 15, described the change as an end to \u201cnormality.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt good to have a mainstream brand like Dunkin\u2019 be kosher in our neighborhood,\u201d she said. \u201cOur community felt seen and supported that we had this place to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another hill to climb<\/p>\n
There are approximately 47,000 Jews in greater Pittsburgh<\/a>. For 100 years, Squirrel Hill has been the region\u2019s geographic Jewish hub. Buttressed by Schenley and Frick parks, the walkable neighborhood, complete with schools, synagogues and locally owned shops, boasts about 28,105 residents \u2014 nearly 40% are Jewish \u2014 according to the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition.<\/p>\n Almost 80 restaurants are in Squirrel Hill<\/a>. Only a handful are certified kosher. Attaining that status requires approval from the Vaad Harabonim of Pittsburgh, an organization founded more than 50 years ago by Orthodox rabbis. Led by volunteers, including Shaare Torah Congregation\u2019s Rabbi Yitzi Genack, the Vaad utilizes halacha (Jewish law) to \u201cstrengthen and maintain the institutions of a Torah community.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with overseeing kosher certification, the rabbinic group manages the eruv<\/a> (aneighborhood boundary enabling observant Jews to carry or push items outdoors on Shabbat) and adjudicates religious legal disputes.<\/p>\n \t Genack said he began meeting \u201crecently\u201d with Dunkin\u2019 about continuing its status as a kosher-certified restaurant. \u201cUnfortunately, despite good faith efforts on both sides, we were unable to reach an arrangement that worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019 is one of 80 locations operated by Heartland Restaurant Group, a Dunkin\u2019 franchisee with sites in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.<\/p>\n Anthony Braun, Heartland\u2019s former CFO and COO, told the Chronicle he serves as a strategic adviser to Heartland\u2019s leadership team and had \u201cquite a few conversations\u201d with Genack and Rabbi Chaim Itkin, a kosher administrator at the Vaad.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was not an easy decision for us,\u201d Braun said. \u201cWe worked hard to meet both objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019 was kosher-certified for nearly 17 years; however, \u201cnew products are continually coming down the pipeline, with a bunch of promotional offerings, of which none are kosher-certified,\u201d Braun said. \u201cThe brand invests heavily in influencers, both social media and television, and spends a lot of money on electronic media, as well as other medias, advertising these new products<\/a>, featured products, and what we\u2019ve been running into, and we have for quite a\u00a0 while, is we have quite a few guests that visit, and we can\u2019t provide the offering that they would love.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunkin\u2019s newest product line is slated for launch the first week of June. Though reluctant to detail specific menu changes, Braun said the line will likely include bacon, non-kosher meat and other items previously unavailable at the Squirrel Hill site.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked to the rabbis a few times, and we really left the decision in their hands,\u201d he said. Proposals were made by both sides and \u201cthe result ended up being that when we finished our call up, we just couldn\u2019t figure out a way for both sides to really make that work.\u201d<\/p>\n Genack agreed and said, \u201cUltimately we were unable to find a solution that met both our standards and their operational needs.\u201d<\/p>\n The way we were<\/p>\n Countless relationships end in breakups; teenagers know that better than most. Seeking possible reunification between the parties, Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh students collected hundreds of signatures \u2014 in print and online \u2014 from those hoping Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019 would remain kosher<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like if we get a bunch of people, then we could probably make them see what we\u2019re seeing,\u201d Adina Goldberg, 15, said.<\/p>\n At least once a week, Adina frequented Dunkin\u2019. Sometimes it was after workouts<\/a>. Other times it was to meet up with peers. During most visits, Adina was there for more than an hour.<\/p>\n \u201cA few years ago, I used to do homework or study there with a friend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n More recently, her engagements changed. Going to Dunkin\u2019 became a social endeavor.<\/p>\n \u201cI just like hanging out, discussing random topics under the sun<\/a>, over food,\u201d she said. \u201cJust sitting there and hanging out was nice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe, my family, my friends, and definitely a lot of the Jewish community love going there,\u201d Naomi said. \u201cIt\u2019s literally like the best hangout spot.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Separated from the intersection of Forbes and Shady avenues by floor-to-ceiling windows, Dunkin\u2019 occupies the ground floor of a nearly 20,000-square-foot property<\/a>. Movable seating covers portions of the store\u2019s almost 6,700 square feet. Across the street is a Starbucks. Down the road are other coffee shops.<\/p>\n Dunkin\u2019 is different.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not usually a big crowd, and even if there is, there\u2019s a bunch of tables spread out, everywhere, so you could just chill,\u201d Adina said. \u201cThis place was a place for everybody, including Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d go there \u2014 even for just a lunch break \u2014 you could walk there,\u201d Miri said. Given its location and kosher-certified status, it was a \u201cspace to go and know everything\u2019s approved\u201d for her and her friends to eat.<\/p>\n Before the law<\/p>\n Kosher cognizance is a source of Pittsburgh pride. More than a century ago, Heinz Vegetarian Beans became the first packaged food to receive formal certification from the Orthodox Union<\/a>. In Pittsburgh, and other kosher-conscious communities, a mashgiach, kosher supervisor, works with companies and food service professionals to ensure products and venues comply with halacha. At kosher-certified establishments, a mashgiach observes operations and ensures that various practices, such as the separation of dairy and ritually slaughtered meat, are observed.<\/p>\n For years, stickers and signage noted Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019s commitment to kashrut. On a wall near the pick-up counter, one printout read, \u201cDunkin\u2019 We are proud to be Kosher Certified by the Vaad Horabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.\u201d An adjacent sign stated, \u201cOur mission: To ensure every guest leaves happy & completely satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n Squirrel Hill resident Lindsey Strassman said the June 1 change negatively impacts her work and family. Strassman is the senior finance analyst at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. She and colleagues often met at Dunkin\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an easier, fast-food type of place with a much more casual vibe, and it\u2019s a bigger setting, so it\u2019s more comfortable for newer or prospective donors,\u201d she said. There are plenty of nearby places to get a cup of coffee, but if it\u2019s \u201calso your breakfast time, or you\u2019re meeting at lunchtime, you could grab lunch at Dunkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n There are plenty of affordable options. A bagel and cream cheese costs $3.53. Tuna melts are $4.89. A \u201c$6 meal deal\u201d includes a medium coffee, veggie bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and hash browns.<\/p>\n Strassman, 34, keeps kosher. Her parents and siblings do not. \u201cFor us, Dunkin\u2019 Donuts has always been an even playing field<\/a>, and a place where we can all go and eat comfortably, quickly, affordably,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Squirrel Hill resident, with a penchant for economic insight, noted calculations require dollars and sense.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t always cost money, but there is a cost to making a decision based solely on finances,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s also about the people. It\u2019s also about the place. It\u2019s also about the community. That costs too.\u201d<\/p>\n Forget about the price tag<\/p>\n Squirrel Hill resident Robert Itskowitz, 48, said he bought coffee about twice a month from Dunkin\u2019. His teenage kids, on the other hand, frequented the venue multiple times per week.<\/p>\n Itskowitz called it a \u201cshame\u201d to see Dunkin\u2019 lose its kosher certification. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful place to gather: for kids to get food before school, for individuals to meet up for study breaks. It\u2019s really unfortunate to lose that anchor.\u201d<\/p>\n On May 27, the Vaad issued a statement that Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019 would no longer be kosher-certified post-May 31: \u201cThe store will be introducing non-kosher products and should be treated as non-kosher. The Vaad thanks the community for their continued partnership in kashrus awareness<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Itskowitz wishes there had been more time between announcement and execution, to inform decision makers about Dunkin\u2019s communal significance.<\/p>\n More than 30 years ago, sociologist Ray Oldenburg<\/a> coined the term \u201cthird places\u201d to describe spaces outside the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where people relax, talk and connect with community. The value of \u201cthird places,\u201d according to University of Chicago researchers<\/a>, is they not only offer sites to gather with friends or acquaintances, but there\u2019s the possibility of meeting people \u201cyou have never encountered before.\u201d<\/p>\n With Dunkin\u2019 losing its kosher certification, Adina questioned where her peers would go.<\/p>\n Strassman wondered too. \u201cThis is not what Pittsburgh is about,\u201d she said. \u201cPittsburgh is about inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n Kosher-conscious consumers have dietary needs. When there\u2019s an inability to comfortably meet alongside others without judgment or awkwardness, the challenge becomes clear, Miri said. \u201cYou need to work hard for what you want, so if you want something to happen, you have to put the work into it.\u201d PJC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-467938932-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tFood for thought. (Photo via iStock)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260528_200948-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tAfter 17 years, Squirrel Hill Dunkin\u2019 is no longer kosher-certified. (Photo by Adam Reinherz)<\/p>\n