America runs on Dunkin’?

Try America runs out of Dunkin’!

Donuts are missing from Dunkin’ shelves across Nebraska, New Mexico, and some other U.S. states. 

Stores in Omaha, Lincoln, and Grand Island, Nebraska, had no donuts in their cases Thursday and Friday. Signs on doors and drive-throughs warned customers the pastries were unavailable. Why? “Due to a manufacturing error.” Some locations did offer “Munchkins,” or donut holes, on Friday.

Tyler Raikar lives in Omaha. She stopped by a Dunkin’ there early Friday. She had just finished an overnight shift as a phlebotomist. (A phlebotomist draws blood for medical testing.) She was seeking coffee and a chocolate cake donut.

“What? No donuts!” she exclaimed. “That’s tragic!”

But the trip wasn’t a total loss, she says. For her, the coffee was the most important part.  

Store after store around Albuquerque, New Mexico, had the same news. They confirmed there’s a donut drought. Some employees say it’s a supply chain problem. A supply chain moves a product from start to finish. In the case of donuts, it starts with raw materials—flour, sugar, oil, and so on. It ends with a finished donut. If even one raw material is missing, donuts can’t be made.

Store workers say delivery trucks have been arriving without the needed supplies. They hope the donuts will be restocked soon.

Dunkin’ is one of the world’s largest coffee and donut brands. It has more than 13,200 restaurants. More than 9,500 of those are in the United States. About four out of every 100 stores experienced the donut drought.