Popular doughnut shop chain Krispy Kreme is lowering the price of a dozen glazed donuts to help customers fight soaring gas prices.
In a <a href="https://investors.krispykreme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/krispy-kremer-taps-strategic-doughnut-reserve-help-guests-beat">press release</a> Tuesday, the North Carolina-based doughnut chain announced that, for a limited time, it would lower the price of a dozen glazed donuts on Wednesdays, from the regular <a href="https://thehill.com/news/3265575-krispy-kreme-ties-doughnut-prices-to-cost-of-gas-with-weekly-promotion/">price</a> of roughly $8 down to the national average price of a gallon of gasoline.
&#8220;To leave a sweeter taste in motorists’ mouths as they feel the pain at the pump, Krispy Kreme announced today that it is tapping its &#8216;strategic doughnut reserve&#8217; and will price a dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts at the United States national average for a gallon of regular gasoline on Wednesdays, beginning April 13 at participating shops throughout the U.S,&#8221; the company wrote in its press release.
“While Americans deal with the rising PPG – price per gallon – of gasoline, we’re lowering our PPOG – price per Original Glaze,” Krispy Kreme Chief Marketing Officer Dave Skena said. “Inflation and high gasoline prices are serious and forcing families to make tough tradeoffs. We know that despite the high gas prices people have to be out and about anyway. So, for the next several Wednesdays, we hope providing a little doughnut deflation will allow them to share some smiles during a difficult time. A dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts for the price of a gallon of gas will help our fans make midweek a little sweeter for their friends and family.”
&#8220;Krispy Kreme will set the price for an Original Glazed dozen each Wednesday, April 13 through May 4, based on the national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States on the Monday at the beginning of the week,&#8221; the company wrote. &#8220;Guests can get up to two dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts, each for the price of a gallon of gas, in participating shops, via drive-thru and for pick-up by ordering online and through the Krispy Kreme app.&#8221;
The company said it would alert customers to the price in posts on its social media pages, as well as a promotional <a href="https://www.krispykreme.com/offers/beatthepump">website</a>. It added that it would pull its data from AAA&#8217;s <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">national average</a> gas price, which currently sits at $4.098 per gallon.
Krispy Kreme is not the only chain offering its customers some relief from high gas prices. Last week, fried chicken chain <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/popular-southern-fast-food-chain-giving-away-1-million-in-gas-cards-amid-sky-high-prices">Bojangles</a> announced it was giving away $1 million in free gas cards to customers. The Daily Wire reported:
<blockquote>“Bojangles, the legendary Southern food chain known for its chicken, biscuits and tea, is giving away $1 million in free gas to help customers offset the rising cost of fueling up their tanks,” the company wrote. “Beginning today until supplies run out, every purchase of a Bojangles Family Meal – featuring 12 or 20 pieces of bone-in chicken, plus scratch-made biscuits, choice of home-style fixins and Legendary Iced Tea® – will come with a $10 gas gift card.”&#8230;
“Gas prices reached the highest levels on record in March 2022,” the company wrote further, citing data from AAA. “As a family-forward chain known for providing great food and tremendous value, Bojangles saw an opportunity to rally and help thousands of customers during the gas crunch.”</blockquote>

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Krispy Kreme To Offer Customers A Dozen Glazed Donuts For The Price Of A Gallon Of Gas

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Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme <a href="https://www.krispykreme.com/promos/vaccineoffer">announced</a> a new effort to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, stating that the company would be giving out a free glazed doughnut each day to anyone who brings their vaccination card into any store in the United States for the rest of the year.
In order to receive a free doughnut, customers must show a card that contains proof that they have received one or two of the shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or one shot of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine. It must be brought into a store, but customers won&#8217;t need to purchase any additional items in order to receive the free pastry. The offer is limited to one free doughnut per qualified person per day.
&#8220;We all want to get COVID-19 behind us as fast as possible and we want to support everyone doing their part to make the country safe by getting vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them,&#8221; said Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer.
The company&#8217;s website also acknowledges that not everyone wants to get vaccinated. It states, &#8220;We understand that choosing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is a highly personal decision. We advise all employees and guests to consult with their healthcare provider regarding whether to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination and which vaccine to receive after reviewing the available information.&#8221;
The company has made it possible for those who do not want to get a COVID-19 vaccine to still receive the benefits of a free doughnut and coffee on Mondays between March 29 and May 24 &#8220;to get your week off to a good start.&#8221;
As announced on <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005159/en/KRISPY-KREME%C2%AE-Giving-FREE-Doughnuts-to-Everyone-Who-Shows-COVID-19-Vaccination-Card-%E2%80%93-All-Year-Long">Business Wire</a>, Krispy Kreme is incentivizing its own workers to get vaccinated by providing them with up to four hours of paid time off in order to encourage team members to get vaccinated and create a safer workplace for employees and customers.
The company also plans to help volunteers and health care personnel who are giving out the vaccines by giving out free doughnuts at certain vaccination locations across the nation in future weeks.
The statement also included an announcement regarding the company&#8217;s launch of its &#8220;Be Sweet Weekends&#8221; program which will offer customers who buy &#8220;any dozen an additional &#8216;Be Sweet Dozen&#8217; to safely share with a friend or neighbor for just $1. The Original Glazed dozen with a special smiley-face doughnut will be available for nine consecutive Saturday‑Sundays, March 27 through May 23.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations">data</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 25% of the total U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 13.5% of the population is fully vaccinated. 42.5% of members of the population who are over 65 years of age are fully vaccinated.
A Pew Research <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/03/05/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-or-already-have/">study</a> released in early March revealed that 50% of the U.S. population planned to get the vaccine in addition to the 19% who had already gotten at least one dose of the vaccine at the time of the study — a combined 69%. This was an increase from the 60% of people who said they planned to get vaccinated last November. The study also shows the reasons that some people do not want to get the vaccines, most pointing to a concern over side effects, the feeling that the vaccines were developed too quickly, and a desire to know better about how well the vaccines work.
The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html">CDC</a> states that the vaccines are &#8220;safe and effective&#8221; and &#8220;were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials.&#8221; The CDC adds that the COVID-19 vaccines &#8220;will undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history.&#8221;

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Krispy Kreme Will Give Free Doughnuts To Vaccinated Customers

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Update: Krispy Kreme has responded to Gonazalez&#8217;s plight. In a statement on Twitter, the company said, &#8220;we’re happy to say we&#8217;re helping Jayson restart his business &amp; donate 500 dozen to him. He was asked to stop selling to protect everyone involved. He will work as an independent operator for us and together we&#8217;ll ensure delivery of our doughnuts to our fans in MN!&#8221;
Gonzalez responded to the news on his Facebook page: &#8220;I am pumped to announce that I will be able to continue the business soon, and have the support of Krispy Kreme. They want to ensure I become an independent operator and make sure the brand is represented well.”
Original story:
For months, Minnesota resident Jayson Gonzalez would drive nearly four hours from his home in Champlin to Clive, Iowa, in order to purchase dozens of boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts before making the four-hour drive home.
In total, Gonzalez packed his Ford Focus with up to 100 boxes, each with 12 doughnuts inside. As The St. Paul Pioneer Press <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2019/11/02/krispy-kreme-not-sweet-on-college-student-selling-to-minnesotans-orders-him-to-quit/">reported</a>, Gonzalez charged customers $17-$20 per box, with some spending upwards of $100 on each of his trips. The money Gonzalez made went toward his college education.
Krispy Kreme closed its last store in Minnesota 11 years ago, <a href="https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Krispy-Kreme-tells-Minnesota-man-to-quit-his-Iowa-doughnut-runs-564317761.html">reported</a> the Associated Press.
Gonzalez made the eight-hour round trip every weekend and had amassed quite a number of customers hankering for the doughnuts.
In late October, the Pioneer Press reported about Gonzalez’s simple little business. Less than a week later, Gonzalez said he was contacted by Krispy Kreme’s Nebraska office and told he had to stop making his doughnut runs. He announced the sad news on Facebook:
<blockquote>Hi all! I bear some bad news. Unfortunately the run for this Saturday will not be taking place, as I have been told I have to shut down operations. I figured it would come eventually, but it arrived early with the surrounding articles. Life happens, and it could be a sign that something else it meant to be. Appreciate everyone’s love and support to make this happen, couldn’t have done it without you all.</blockquote>
Gonzalez told the Pioneer Press that Krispy Kreme had told him to “cease” and “desist,” suggesting his small business could create a liability for them, even though the young entrepreneur bought the doughnuts at full cost out of his own pocket.
A few days after Gonzalez’s post announcing he could no longer deliver the doughnuts, he posted Krispy Kreme’s response to the Pioneer Press’ report on the situation.
“We have become aware of Jayson’s situation, which involves one of our well-intended locations, and are looking into this. We appreciate Jayson’s passion for Krispy Kreme and his entrepreneurial spirit as he pursues his education,” Krispy Kreme said in a statement.
The statement gave Gonzalez a little hope that his business might be able to start again.
“Let’s hope for the best! Although if it works out in the end, not sure what I’ll do car wise as this page has grown even more,” he wrote.
In a post the morning before, Gonzalez wrote: “With the support on the page and the support on the Pioneer Press as well, there might be a slight chance of hope. Waiting to see if KK will get back to me, or anyone that has contacted them by next week though. I truly am thankful for the wonderful community that has been surrounding me. To see everyone come together is something special.”
This past weekend would have been Gonzalez’s 20th doughnut run.

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Krispy Kreme To Offer Customers A Dozen Glazed Donuts For The Price Of A Gallon Of Gas

Krispy Kreme Will Give Free Doughnuts To Vaccinated Customers

[Update] Krispy Kreme Tells Young Entrepreneur To Stop Selling Their Doughnuts Across State Lines