Ordering coffee shouldn’t be hard. You want caffeine, maybe some sugar and milk, perhaps a flavor. Simple, right?
But if you’ve ever tried to customize a drink on a delivery app, you know that for some reason, companies like to make it much harder than it needs to be. This high-profile customer is specifically calling out Dunkin’ for its bad ordering interface.
Customer Calls Out Dunkin’ For Bad Online Ordering System
In a viral video with more than 3.3 million views, popular content creator James Charles (@jamescharleslol) said Dunkin’ needs to improve its online ordering system if it wants to retain customers.
“This is a message for the Dunkin’ corporate team. Whoever designed your guys’ coffee ordering system on delivery apps deserves to be tied up in the middle of the street and then ran over with a vehicle multiple times,” he says.
“I don’t know why you people decided to make it literally as complicated as, like, … decoding the Da Vinci … code.”
Charles explains that he just wants a simple medium caramel iced coffee with cream and sugar. It’s what he ordered every morning before school, and it’s what he’s been trying (unsuccessfully) to recreate through delivery apps since moving to Los Angeles seven years ago.
“It has never once arrived to my home tasting the same as it once did,” Charles explains.
He added that he can barely figure out how to place an order properly in the app since it uses complicated terms closer to how a barista would describe making a drink vs. how the average person would.
“What the [expletive] do any of those things mean? We’re not [expletive] Dunkin’ baristas. That’s not my job,” Charles said.
And it’s not just the customization options that bother him. Charles also takes issue with Dunkin’s signature celebrity collaboration drinks.
“Why don’t you put any of the drinks on the f—— menu? Why don’t you put the drinks on the menu?” he asks.
Instead of having these advertised drinks readily available at the top of the menu, customers have to hunt them down and manually add each component.
And to make matters worse, he can’t even get a reliable flavor.
“Every time that I order a Dunkin’ coffee, it tastes completely different, and it’s never good,” Charles says. “It’s literally only OK when I go into the stores, and I don’t wanna go to the f—— stores. I want a delicious Dunkin’ coffee straight to my doorstep. But you guys have to fix the f—— system because it’s f—–.”
Mobile Ordering Frustrations Aren’t Just A Dunkin’ Problem
Dunkin’ has a 1.4-star rating on ConsumerAffairs based on hundreds of reviews, with many customers echoing similar complaints about the app.
“I like being able to place an order on the app ahead of time, but I have to say that it’s worthless. They have never gotten my order right! I shouldn’t have to check my order to make sure that the 3 things that I ordered are correct!” a person wrote.
The problem extends beyond just Dunkin’. According to restaurant industry research, while over 60% of restaurant orders are now placed through mobile apps, tech failures and bad UI keep customers frustrated. Studies have shown that confusing interfaces, unclear customization options, and inconsistent experiences significantly reduce user trust and satisfaction.
The challenge for restaurants is balancing customization with simplicity. Coffee chains offer potentially thousands of drink combinations, but translating that complexity into an intuitive mobile interface is difficult.
This UX researcher, who studied food ordering apps, found that customers want speed and ease, but many apps prioritize showcasing options over streamlining the ordering process.
Commenters React
“Dunkin thinks WE all got a degree in coffee beans,” a top comment read.
“Actually, he’s correct. I hate ordering on the app,” a person said.
“And then they wanna ask ME for a tip after i made the whole thing myself,” another wrote.
“So glad someone is finally talking about this, I literally can’t order my coffee on DoorDash and I can’t recreate it either,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to James Charles for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to Dunkin’ via email.