
Just as Starbucks was feeling the burn from pastors, social media users and even Donald Trump over its plain red holiday cup, Dunkin’ Donutsturned up the heat — apparently inadvertently — with a seasonal vessel filled to the brim with Christmas cheer.
As it does every year, the doughnut and coffeehouse chain recently released its own holiday cup. Like the Starbucks cup, it doesn’t explicitly say “Merry Christmas,” but the white Styrofoam cup does feature symbols associated with the holiday, including green snowflakes and the word “JOY” written in red cursive.
Some of those offended by Starbucks’ simple, agnostic holiday design, which has been branded by some critics as part of a “war on Christmas,” have embraced Dunkin’s more festive approach and lauded the brand on social media.
There was speculation on Wednesday that Dunkin’ Donuts designed its holiday cups in direct response to the Starbucks controversy and to win over consumers miffed by Starbucks’ blank slate approach.