Brew Ha Ha: Dunkin' Donuts Strikes Back After Starbucks Holiday Cup Flap
by Whitney Filloon, Eater.com
Coffee drinkers inexplicably pissed off about Starbucks’ decidedly plain holiday cups have another, more festive option for their caffeine needs: Dunkin’ Donuts has launched new coffee cups emblazoned with the word “joy” and sprigs of holly in a Christmas-y red and green color scheme, the New York Post points out. While previous iterations of Starbucks’ holiday coffee cups have featured evergreen trees or holiday ornaments, this year the coffee giant chose to go with a plain red cup in an effort to be more inclusive.
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Controversy over the cups erupted when a Christian internet evangelist posted a now-viral video in which he expressed his outrage over Starbucks’ lack of Christmas spirit; in a followup statement to the Washington Post, he wrote, “The cup is symbolic of a larger war against Christianity in this country. The policemen of political correctness have demanded that the silent majority bend its knee to a vocal minority.” Nevermind the fact that, as Vox illustrates, Starbucks holiday cups have never featured any Christian or really any explicitly Christmas-oriented designs at all — just evergreen trees, snowmen, and holiday ornaments.
Nevertheless, statements of approval for Dunkin’s holiday cups are popping up all over social media.
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And while many are pronouncing Dunkin’s holiday cups a direct retort to Starbucks’ red cup controversy, the doughnut chain says it’s just business as usual: “For many years Dunkin’ Donuts has served coffee in festive cups featuring the word ‘joy’ as part of our annual celebration of the season and holiday offerings. We believe this conveys the happiness and spirit of the holiday season in a way that resonates with our guests,” Dunkin’ Donuts’ Vice President of Global Consumer Engagement Scott Hudler said in a statement to Eater.
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With Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump calling for a possible boycott of Starbucks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him clutching a Dunkin’ Donuts cup for a timely photo opp.
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