Krispy Kreme CEO Speaks Out Amid COVID-19 Vaccine Promotion Backlash

Krispy Kreme is responding to criticism over a controversial new promotion.

The company offered a free Original Glazed donut to any customer who showed their COVID vaccination card during the transaction.

The franchise announced the promotion, which is available to any customers that have received one of two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or a single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, is available at location nationwide and will continue until the end of 2021.

Social media users were quick to criticize the offer given that the CDC has identified obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19.

Even Stephen Colbert added his two-cents, tweeting, “Krispy Kreme is offering free donuts to anyone who’s been vaccinated. Which is great news for anyone who got the shot but still has a death wish.”

The company’s CEO Mike Tattersfield defended the controversial promotion in an interview with Yahoo! Finance on Friday (March 26).

“We’re a sweet treat company, [and] if folks don’t want to visit a donut shop, they don’t have to,” he said.

Mike continued, “Folks that want to get a vaccine, if they decide to combine a Krispy Kreme pickup [for] a doughnut, they can. That’s how we look at it… generosity.”

“I drop off a lot of doughnuts to the healthcare system. They’re very appreciative, given the days that they have to work…people are always looking for a little sweet treat break. It’s okay,” he added.

In addition to the free donut promotion, Krispy Kreme will also be delivering free donuts to vaccination centers across the country in the coming weeks to give back to health care workers and volunteers administering vaccines. They will also be giving employees four hours of paid time off to encourage them to get the vaccine.

“We’ve always done fundraising and had some type of give back to the community,” Mike said. “The majority of the United States is a company owned system, so we pick up the tab.”

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