Years ago, Dunkin’ removed the word “doughnuts” from its brand name. Doughnuts are no longer available on store shelves, at least in Nebraska, New Mexico, and a few other states.
Due to a production issue, the Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Omaha, Lincoln, and Grand Island, Nebraska, did not have any doughnuts in stock on Thursday or Friday. They posted notices on their doors and at their drive-thru kiosks to let customers know that the pastries were not available. On Friday, some places did serve Munchkins, or doughnut holes.
After working an overnight shift as a phlebotomist, Tyler Raikar of Omaha came by a Dunkin’ in west Omaha early on Friday in search of coffee and a chocolate cake doughnut.
What? “No doughnuts!” she cried out upon learning that there were none at the place. That is very sad!
She claimed that because she was more interested in the coffee, the trip wasn’t a complete waste. She was a little let down, though, because she was unable to get a doughnut.
“Hopefully,” she continued, “they have them soon.”
Store after store acknowledged that there is a doughnut drought in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the neighboring suburbs. Some workers attributed it to a problem with the supply chain, while others merely stated that delivery trucks had been showing up without the most well-known products from the network. Workers expressed their anticipation that supplies will be restocked by the following week.
Citing directives from Dunkin’ corporate headquarters, a manager at the Dunkin’ outlet in west Omaha stated on Friday that she was unable to provide any details regarding the reason for the shortfall. The manager, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the scarcity was a nationwide issue.
However, inspections of other areas, such as Boston, where Dunkin’ has a cult-like following, and St. Joseph, Missouri, revealed an abundance of the confections.
With over 13,200 locations, Dunkin’ is one of the biggest doughnut and coffee companies in the world. Founded in 1950 in Massachusetts, the company was acquired by Atlanta-based private equity firm Inspire Brands, which also owns Buffalo Wild Wings and Arby’s, for $11.3 billion in 2020.
Inspire Brands spokesperson Jack D. Amato stated that a problem with doughnuts from a single supplier affected locations in Nebraska and a few other states, but he did not specify which states were affected. According to him, just 4% of Dunkin’s locations in the US were affected. Across the US, Dunkin’ has over 9,500 locations.
According to D Amato, the business is still investigating the nature of the problem and the precise number of impacted outlets. However, he stated that the business has already started replenishing certain impacted outlets.
As part of a rebranding initiative to put more emphasis on its coffee and other drinks, which accounted for the majority of its sales, the firm, formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts, announced in 2018 that it was eliminating the word “doughnuts” from its name.
Bryce Bares, the owner of multiple Dunkin’ franchises in Nebraska, did not immediately respond calls or emails.
Some Dunkin’ outlets received subpar items from suppliers, and Bares informed the Omaha World-Herald that he would not serve them to consumers. He informed the newspaper that the issue had been fixed by the supply partners and that doughnuts should soon be available in his Nebraska sites once more.
— The Associated Press’s Margery A. Beck
This report was written by Michael Casey and Dee-Ann Durbin.
