Krispy Kreme donuts are a staple in the quick stop confections business, competing with several local chains, Dunkin’ and others. And for some, seeing the glowing red from the Hot Now sign sent a signal that donuts were as advertised and a few things unadvertised.
For one TikTok user, they had to discover one of those hidden treats for themselves. All they found, however, was a disappointment. According to The Daily Dot, TikTok user Haileigh took a ride to her local Florida Krispy Kreme to determine if the red light indeed indicated the donuts were hot, ready now and free.
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As Delish notes, rumors have swirled for years that when the light comes on, you can get a free donut. This is not the truth and as Krispy Kreme addressed themselves back in 2017, noting that it was at a shop’s discretion usually and not a company policy.
“The Hot Light signals that donuts are hot and fresh coming off the line, not a free donut. Some shops sometimes offer samples, but that isn’t dependent on the Hot Light being on,” Krispy Kreme told the outlet via email. “There may be groups that continue it at random intervals.”
Haleigh must’ve heard the rumor and decided to see what her local shop did regarding the light. Sadly, her disappointment is immeasurable, and her day ended up ruined. “Is it true that you get a free donut when that hot sign is on?” Haleigh says in the video posted to TikTok. The voice on the other end of the drive-thru shows no hesitation with their answer, quickly replying, “No, ma’am.” Haleigh then double checks and receives a similar response, leaving her to purchase her tonights and label Krispy Kreme as frauds.
We know this is a bit of an overstatement and Haleigh doesn’t have all of the information about the Hot Now sign. Still, hard to deny she’s disappointed. The commenters don’t help either. “She was QUICK and READY for you to get out her line,” one wrote. “I’ve gotten so many free donuts at the hot light!” another added. “It’s actually true but [due] to covid we can’t give out anymore,” a third wrote.
Meanwhile, Dunkin is still throwing away old and unsold donuts that people would willingly eat. Maybe we just need to be happy we can have a donut at the end of the day?
