At a Glance
- Krispy Kreme is giving away one free Original Glazed doughnut per customer on Jan. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- The promotion follows a Verizon network outage that left tens of thousands of phones stuck in “SOS” mode
- No purchase is required; the freebie is available in-store or at the drive-thru
- Why it matters: The chain has now offered three outage-linked freebies in under two years, turning tech failures into marketing wins
Krispy Kreme is turning a nationwide cellphone headache into a sugar rush. On Jan. 14, the chain will hand out free Original Glazed doughnuts between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. after tens of thousands of Verizon Wireless customers lost service earlier in the day.
How to Claim the Free Doughnut
- Visit any U.S. Krispy Kreme shop or drive-thru between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Jan. 14
- Ask for one free Original Glazed-no purchase necessary
- One doughnut per customer while supplies last
- The offer was announced on the brand’s Instagram account
The deal is the third time since 2024 that Krispy Kreme has responded to major tech outages with free pastries. A global IT outage and a separate nationwide cellphone outage both triggered similar giveaways last year.
What Happened on Jan. 14
Reports of Verizon service failures started appearing around 12 p.m. ET, according to Downdetector, though The New York Post said issues began shortly after 9 a.m. Cities hit hardest include:
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Atlanta
- Dallas
- Charlotte
- Houston
- Boston
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Washington, D.C.
Verizon confirmed the disruption in a statement posted to social media shortly after 1 p.m. While some users saw service return, others remained in “SOS” mode-an indicator that the device cannot connect to the carrier’s network. Smaller outages were also reported on T-Mobile and AT&T the same day.
A Pattern of Outage Freebies
Krispy Kreme’s Jan. 14 promotion continues a marketing playbook the chain has used before:
| Year | Trigger | Freebie |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Global IT outage | Free doughnuts |
| 2024 | Nationwide cellphone outage | Free doughnuts |
| 2025 | Verizon SOS outage | Free doughnuts Jan. 14, 5-7 p.m. |
Each time, the company limits the giveaway to a narrow two-hour window and requires no additional purchase, driving foot traffic and social buzz without cutting deeply into revenue.
Key Takeaways
- Krispy Kreme capitalizes on tech failures with short, no-purchase-required promotions
- The Jan. 14 outage affected Verizon users in ten major U.S. cities
- Customers have a two-hour window-5 p.m. to 7 p.m.-to claim one free Original Glazed
- This marks the third outage-linked doughnut giveaway since 2024
