A former Dunkin’ employee quit her job at the coffee chain in favor of Starbucks after five years of feeling undervalued by the company.
In a viral TikTok video, Cailyn Makel Burkett (@kingysparents) mixes up a drink, makes food in the oven, and restocks in the restaurant’s back area. The worker said she’s been working hard for Dunkin’ for the last five years, sometimes being at the establishment as early as 4am, and has been promised raises and promotions that have never come to fruition.
In a comment, Burkett, who is based in Auburn, Maine, said Dunkin’ promised her a $1 raise and “kept saying it would show up as a ‘bonus’” on her paycheck, but she never received the additional pay.
When the former Dunkin’ employee noticed that the chain’s competition, Starbucks, was hiring a barista with a higher starting salary than what she was already making, she decided to apply. The screenshot of the job listing Burkett shared shows a pay range of $15.15 to $17.31 an hour.
@kingysparents I guess im a trader now🤷🏼♀️ I know a lot of my followers will be disappointed, but i hope you can follow me on this new journey🫶🏻 i cant wait to show yall some tasty drinks to make from starbucks💚 #fyp #viral #dunkin #starbucks #work #foryou ♬ I Don’t Fuck With You – Big Sean
After going through Starbucks’ interview process, Burkett was offered the job. The hiring manager thought she’d be “a great fit for the team here,” Burkett explains.
Burkett seemingly wrote a handwritten letter to give her employer notice that she was leaving.
“You respectfully put in your 2 weeks. They completely take you off the schedule,” the text overlay on the video reads.
In another screenshot, viewers can see that the worker is listed as having every day from Sunday to Saturday off.
“U Mad? Or just petty?” reads a meme she added at the end of the TikTok.
One commenter wrote, “I would take those two weeks off and collect unemployment because they just fired you.”
The video has nearly 7,000 views and dozens of comments. The worker makes a variety of content but does regularly post videos related to her job at Dunkin’ Donuts and specifically shares Dunkin’ hacks.
In the comments, Burkett shared she’s only been doing barista part-time work to get by until her child is in kindergarten. After that, she plans to complete the requirements for a cosmetology license.
“I guess im a trader now I know a lot of my followers will be disappointed, but i hope you can follow me on this new journey i cant wait to show yall some tasty drinks to make from Starbucks,” the caption read.
However, the content creator shared in an updated comment that she received a counteroffer from the Dunkin’ location she used to work at that was more than what Starbucks offered her.
“Idk what to do now,” she shared.
While the worker posted another video about her struggle to decide between the two, she has yet to let her followers know if she’ll stay at Dunkin’ or accept the offer at Starbucks.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dunkin’ via email.
Update 10:32am CT July 27: In an email to the Daily Dot, Burkett said she decided to accept the job at Starbucks.
“I ended up choosing Starbucks because I’m tired of broken promises from Dunkin Donuts that doesn’t have tips, benefits, or even direct deposit,” she shared. “The owners did call me and offer me the same amount and said that they saw my TikTok as well. They said it was an oversight in management and that they didn’t want to lose a valuable employee like me. I was supposed to meet with the owners to discuss a higher pay and promotion but I decided to go with Starbucks instead and give myself a new experience.”
