Dunkin' Donuts Apologizes for Blackface Ad, but Not Everyone Is Sorry

'What's the big fuss?' asks the franchisee

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Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand has just seen a 50 percent bump in sales on the heels of a new print, TV and Facebook ad campaign, and the CEO of the local franchise is crowing about the sugar rush. So what if it's all because of a controversial ad?

No, really, CEO Nadim Salhani says—so what? The ad in question shows a smiling woman in blackface with bright-pink lipstick holding the chain's new "charcoal donut." Predictably, this is kicking up a fury—outside its target region—though Salhani says that's just "paranoid American thinking."

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