OMAHA, Nebraska: Dunkin' customers in Nebraska, New Mexico, and other states faced an unexpected disappointment last week: a doughnut shortage.

Several Dunkin' locations, including those in Omaha, Lincoln, and Grand Island, had no doughnuts on January 8 and 9, with signs informing customers that the pastries were unavailable "due to a manufacturing error." Some stores offered limited supplies of doughnut holes, known as Munchkins.

Tyler Raikar, an Omaha phlebotomist, stopped by a west Omaha Dunkin' early Friday after her overnight shift, only to learn there were no chocolate cake doughnuts available. "What? No doughnuts! That's tragic!" she exclaimed. While her trip was not entirely wasted-she still got her coffee-Raikar admitted to being a little disappointed. "Hopefully they have them soon," she said.

Reports of similar shortages came from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and surrounding areas. Employees cited supply chain issues or incomplete deliveries as the cause and expressed hope that supplies would be replenished by the following week.

Jack D'Amato, a spokesperson for Dunkin's parent company Inspire Brands, confirmed that the issue stemmed from a single supplier and impacted about 4 percent of Dunkin's U.S. stores, although he did not specify all the affected states. "The company has already begun restocking some affected stores," D'Amato said.

The shortage appears to be localized. Checks at other Dunkin' locations in regions like St. Joseph, Missouri, and Boston, Massachusetts-where Dunkin' enjoys a near cult-like following-found no such issues.

Bryce Bares, a franchise owner in Nebraska, explained to the Omaha World-Herald that some products received from suppliers didn't meet quality standards and were not served to customers. Bares said the supply partners had addressed the issue, and doughnuts should be back on shelves soon.

Founded in Massachusetts in 1950 and rebranded as Dunkin' in 2018 to emphasize coffee and beverages, the company operates more than 9,500 locations in the U.S. and over 13,200 worldwide. Inspire Brands, which also owns Arby's and Buffalo Wild Wings, acquired Dunkin' in 2020 for US$11.3 billion.

Despite the temporary doughnut shortage, Dunkin' assured customers that the issue was being resolved and that normal operations would resume shortly.