Krispy Kreme Is Giving Out Free Donuts as Relief from Global IT Outage

Krispy Kreme has the perfect pick-me-up for those affected by the global IT outage on July 19.

From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 19, drive-thru and in-store customers at the chain can help themselves to one free original glazed donut. No other purchase is necessary to cash in on the deal, according to Krispy Kreme, but it will only be available as long as supplies last. 

The company announced the deal in a clever Instagram post that played off of the global technology outage that has primarily affected Microsoft Windows users. 

“Sweet-ware Update Available! 💻 Does technology have you down today? Our windows are working great and so is our Hot Light!” the post’s caption read. “Come on in and help yourself to a FREE Original Glazed® Doughnut from 5-7pm to add some sweetness to this sour day! 🍩 🙌”

The widespread technology outage, which was caused by a software update by the American cyber security company CrowdStrike, has affected a variety of companies and organizations, including major banks, hospitals and police and fire stations. 

The failed update also caused massive travel disruptions worldwide, with several U.S. airlines like Delta, American Airlines and United along with other major global carriers cancelling flights. Public transit systems in cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City have experienced issues as well. 

"The system was sent an update and that update had a software bug in it and caused an issue with the Microsoft operating system. And we identified this very quickly and remediated the issue. As systems come back online and they're rebooted, they're working," George Kurtz, the founder and CEO of CrowdStrike, said on The Today Show on Friday morning. 

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Earlier this month, Krispy Kreme rolled out another deal involving their classic glazed doughnuts. 

On July 12, customers could purchase a dozen glazed doughnuts for just 87 cents in honor of the brand’s 87th birthday. To qualify for the offer, visitors to the chain had to first buy a dozen doughnuts of any flavor. 

And in honor of the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the doughnut chain offered customers a way to get a fun taste of France — without the trip. 

Krispy Kreme’s Passport to Paris collection, which first released on July 15, includes three flavors: the Crème Brûlée doughnut, the Double Chocolate Éclair doughnut and the Raspberry and Vanilla Crème doughnut.

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