Reddit Is Baffled By Mysterious Charges In Dunkin's Online Ordering

Unless you happen to be a financially inept magician, nobody likes to see money vanish. Whether it be dining in a restaurant or traveling the world to experience cultural delicacies, hopes and dreams usually require a chunk of cash to make them happy — so disappearing money is unlikely to ever become a popular concept.

Pity, then, customers using Dunkin's online ordering system. According to Reddit, mystery charges were added to orders completed using the Dunkin' mobile app without any apparent explanation of what they are for.

The Reddit post shows a straightforward order for a toasted bagel with plain cream cheese spread costing $3.09. But the bottom of the order reveals a sub-total of $4.34, despite no other item being included and no information given about the $1.25 price hike. With 30 cents of tax, the final total for the order is shown as $4.64. So why the added cost?

Dunkin' is adding other receipt charges

"Corporate greed" is the simple explanation offered by one Reddit user for Dunkin's unexpected order charge (per Reddit). One commenter has noticed additional charges for items, such as cheese, while another says they were made to pay more for swirls. Another commenter suggested the cream cheese could have boosted the price, but the original poster confirms the price of the bagel went from $1.99 to $3.09 after the cheese was added.

Dunkin' is known to add an "employee wellness" fee to some orders, but why should a company with $10.4 billion of annual sales (per Restaurant Business) need to add mystery fees? According to QSR, the coffee chain is being impacted by a fall in store visits because of inflation, high gas prices, and COVID-19, so the charges could be a tactic to boost sales figures. Additionally, Nation's Restaurant News explains that Dunkin' allows its franchisees to set prices, meaning the hidden bagel fee could have been an individual store's decision.

To avoid unexpected and unexplained Dunkin' price hikes, Reddit seems to be in agreement on one thing: order in-store rather than online.