Employees said they hoped stocks would be replenished by next week.
Nebraska-based Dunkin’ stores in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island all had no doughnuts in their cases on Thursday and Friday.
Tyler Raikar, of Omaha, stopped by a Dunkin’ in west Omaha early Friday after an overnight shift as a phlebotomist, seeking coffee and a chocolate cake doughnut.
Previously known as Dunkin’ Donuts, the company announced in 2018 that it was dropping “Donuts” from its name as part of a rebranding effort to increase focus on its coffee and other drinks, which made up of a majority of its sales.
Some employees chalked it up to a supply chain issue and others said simply that delivery trucks had been arriving without the cargo that the chain is most famous for.
The manager, who did not give her name, said the shortage was a national problem.
Dunkin’ has more than 9,500 stores nationwide.
Throughout Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the surrounding suburbs, store after store confirmed there’s a doughnut drought.
“What? No doughnuts!” she exclaimed when told the location had none. “That’s tragic!”
A manager at the west Omaha Dunkin’ location said Friday that she could not give more information on the cause of the shortage, citing orders from Dunkin’s corporate headquarters.
D’Amato said the company was still looking into what the issue was and exactly how many stores were affected. But he said the company has already begun restocking some affected stores.
Phone and email messages to Bryce Bares, who owns several Dunkin’ franchises in Nebraska, were not immediately returned.
But checks of locations in other regions, including St. Joseph, Missouri, and Boston — where Dunkin’ has a near cult-like following — found no shortage of the sweet treats.
