The 13 Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit Dunkin'

Dunkin' has been selling hot cups of coffee and delectable donuts for nearly 75 years. During that time, the company has gone from a single restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts to more than 9,500 locations across the country, turning Dunkin' into the second-largest coffee chain in the United States, according to Restaurant Business. 

But that long history has also given Dunkin' plenty of time to find itself embroiled in a scandal or two. In recent years, the famed coffee and donut company has experienced more than its fair share of controversies. Some have been self-inflicted by Dunkin' itself, but others are the result of rogue franchise owners breaking rules or behaving badly. Per FranchiseBusinessReview, all 9,000-plus Dunkin' locations are franchises, so the company is quite vulnerable in this regard. Either way, it's the Dunkin' brand that has to suffer the consequences.

From using fake ingredients and illegal labor practices to a handful of unflattering viral videos and the infamous name change, here are the biggest scandals to ever hit Dunkin'.

Many a quick-serve restaurant has been accused of using mystery ingredients. Look no further than Subway's tuna sandwich controversy of 2021, for instance. Dunkin' is no exception.

In 2016, Dunkin' announced that it would begin testing out a new and enhanced egg patty, which got people curious. After all, how much could you improve upon an egg? It turns out, Dunkin' "eggs" consist of 10 ingredients, including soybean oil, cornstarch, and xanthan gum. Some of these are commonly used food additives, so you could give Dunkin' a pass, but the very next year, the fake ingredient accusations got dialed up. 

In June of 2017, a New York City customer filed a lawsuit against Dunkin', claiming the restaurant's Angus steak-and-egg sandwich wasn't made with real Angus steak, but instead an inferior product of minced meat that contains 'fillers and binders'" (via CNN). Just a few months later, Dunkin' was hit with another ingredient-related lawsuit. This time, more than 100 people in Illinois filed a class-action suit alleging Dunkin' used imitation blueberries in their food instead of the real thing.

Dunkin' has had many public scandals, but it's no stranger to internal problems either. As such, the company has come under fire numerous times for violating labor rules. In 2011, Boston Business Journal reports that two franchise owners in Massachusetts were fined for breaking the state's child labor laws, including employing minors without the required paperwork and having minors work during impermissible hours. The very next month, two different Massachusetts franchisees were found guilty of the very same infractions.

A few years later, it was Dunkin's very own employees yelling foul. A 2016 federal lawsuit filed in Illinois by two former Dunkin' employees claimed their boss required them to work more than 40 hours a week, but never paid them overtime. In addition, according to the plaintiffs, illegal deductions were made to workers' paychecks that often resulted in employees being paid less than the state's minimum wage. 

In 2018, a company operating more than 60 stores in the state was found guilty of violating Massachusetts' Earned Sick Time Law, which provides employees with 40 hours of sick time per year. After receiving an employee complaint, an investigation by the attorney general found the franchisee illegally failed to inform employees about this policy. The company agreed to pay a $60,000 fine.

Dunkin's most notable controversy in recent years, and maybe ever, was self-inflicted. In 2018, the company formerly known as Dunkin' Donuts announced plans to change its name to simply Dunkin'. The switch, which officially took place in January 2019, was part of a larger rebranding effort that included an updated design concept, a simplified menu, and the introduction of unique items. "By simplifying and modernizing our name, while still paying homage to our heritage, we have an opportunity to create an incredible new energy for Dunkin', both in and outside our stores." Dunkin' U.S chief marketing officer Tony Weisman said in a statement. 

The Dunkin' brass' excitement was not felt by its customers, however. Let's just say people weren't happy about the change and weren't shy about voicing their displeasure. A number of Dunkin' customers feared the restaurant shortening its name meant it would no longer be selling donuts, says Insider, though this was never the case. Others, particularly those in the company's home state of Massachusetts, felt the rebrand would turn their beloved, humble Dunkin' into another snooty fast food coffee chain (via Boston). 

The eatery was steadfast in its decision, however, and nearly three years later, Dunkin' hasn't relented. What's more, the name change hasn't affected business. According to Restaurant Business, Dunkin' is still the second-largest coffee chain in the country.

Dunkin' was plunged into another discriminatory scandal more recently. In 2018, WCNC reported that a Baltimore store was caught posting a sign offering free coffee and food to any customer who reported employees speaking languages other than English. A local news producer posted a photo of the sign on Twitter, where it proceeded to go viral.

It turns out, the sign was the work of the store's general manager. When the higher-ups at Dunkin' learned about it, the offending message was quickly taken down. "Dunkin' Donuts and our franchisees share the goal of creating a welcoming and hospitable environment for all guests," the company said in a statement. "The franchise owner has informed us that the sign was posted by their general manager based on her own personal judgment to ensure those standards are being met. While her intent was to address a customer service and satisfaction issue, the franchisee determined her approach was inappropriate and confirmed the sign has been removed."

Still, the damage was already done, with many on social media blasting the coffee outlet and threatening not to return (via US Weekly). "HOW DARE THEY! As an immigrant I am offended!!" one Twitter user wrote. Another commenter chimed in that "this is America, we are a beautifully diverse country and we wish to keep it that. If you want me to spend my money at a DD you better fix your problem in Baltimore."

The only thing worse for a restaurant than having your store taken over by a pack of mice is a video of said takeover going viral. But that's exactly what happened to a Boston Dunkin' location. According to Boston, in November of 2019, a passerby peeked into the window of a Maverick Square store only to see mice scurrying around. He pulled out his phone to record the critters and uploaded the videos to Facebook, where they received more than 20,000 views. One of those watching the footage was by the city's Inspectional Services Department, which launched an investigation that uncovered multiple health violations including trash on the floor, visible grime on the ice machine, and flies in the dining area.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the location. The Dunkin' parent company was so outraged by the video, it sued the franchise operator. In the lawsuit, Dunkin' requested a judge order the management company to remove any evidence the location was once a Dunkin' store and pay for the irreparable damage the scandal had caused the brand.

It's no secret an astonishing amount of the world's food gets wasted, but when you actually watch perfectly good food getting tossed in the garbage right in front of you, it can be downright shocking. Such was the case when a Dunkin' employee recorded a TikTok of herself throwing out tray after tray of uneaten donuts, Munchkins, and bagels. 

The minute-long video was posted to her account in January but went viral a few months later after it was shared on Reddit. According to Newsweek, the video received 6,000 comments in just 11 hours. It has since been viewed 1.6 million times. The employee went on to clarify she was simply following the company's rule of discarding unsold items at the end of the day, a policy confirmed by Reddit users. "This has always been the case," one commenter wrote. "In high school, our friends would throw everything away in white trash bags, set it by the dumpster, and we'd come and get them."

As to why they don't just donate the food, the employee explained that Dunkin' could be held liable if someone got sick, a theory backed up by others. "I assume it's a health code thing," a Reddit user wrote. "My local grocery store will donate old baked goods but they have to be picked up ON the 'sell by' date, because if it's after, even given away, they can be sued when someone gets [sick]."