A Dunkin’ worker based in the southern United States caused a ruckus on TikTok this week after recounting a story in which they revealed they weren’t given breaks at their job.
User @matatyoutoo posted an initial video on the subject with two follow-ups; the first video is currently sitting at over 356,000 views.
“Me at starbucks a interview: oh we don’t get any breaks at dunkin, so i’m looking for a job that provides that,” they wrote in the text overlaying the beginning of their video. They then cut to themselves making a shocked face, labeled “the interviewer.”
“SHE WENT 😦 and i was like ‘what is that not normal’ and she said ‘NO,’” the user wrote in the caption.
@matatyoutoo SHE WENT 😦 and i was like “what is that not normal” and she said “NO”
♬ original sound – ♪彡
While @matatyoutoo has not revealed in which state they live, there are multiple states that do not require breaks for workers. For example, “Texas law doesn’t require employers to give meal breaks or rest breaks,” per legal site Nolo.
Dunkin’s policy on breaks is unclear and appears to vary from location to location. That said, there are numerous posts on sites like Indeed (example no. 1 and example no. 2) and Reddit (example no. 1 and example no. 2) that claim that there are Dunkin’ locations that do not give breaks and that Dunkin’ does not have a company-wide break policy.
For @matatyoutoo’s part, they claimed in a follow-up video they did their own research about their state and discovered they were not legally entitled to a break.
@matatyoutoo Replying to @paytondellray ♬ son original – quentin
“‘Does not require mandatory rest breaks or meal breaks for employees 16 years of age or older,’” they wrote in the overlay text. “Im gonna explode.”
In a third video, the user explains how they discovered that working this long without pay was not a normal occurrence.
They say that they were working at Dunkin’ and seeking extra hours. When they received extra hours, they say they were startled to learn that they were not given a break by default. The TikToker says their mom was upset and said that behavior must be illegal, only for @matatyoutoo and their mom to later discover that it is, in fact, legal in their state.
All of this led to the TikToker applying at Starbucks and referencing Dunkin’s’ break policy, which surprised the Starbucks interviewer.
“When I said that she looked at me like, ‘Are you serious?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah,’” @matatyoutoo recalls.
After a pause, @matatyoutoo asked, “‘Is that not normal?’”
To which the interviewer replied, according to the TikToker, “‘No! That’s not normal!’”
Under their first video, TikTokers shared their experiences working long hours without breaks.
“Me when I went from a pizza place where I worked 8-13 hour shifts with no breaks and no lunches,” one user wrote.
“11 hour shift no break one time,” another added. “Worst part is, it’s perfectly legal in my state.”
“At canes they made us clock out at 12 & stay until 3/4am cleaning when i had school at 7am (I was 16),” a third claimed.
“The break was when I’d stay in the walk in for a little too long,” a further TikToker shared.
@matatyoutoo was taken aback by this response.
“OH MY GOD THIS COMMENT SECTION,” they wrote. “You’re all victims im so sorry.”
We’ve reached out to @matatyoutoo via TikTok comment and Dunkin’ via email.
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