Dunkin' Becomes Latest Coffee Chain To Scrap Dairy-Free Milk Surcharge

Dunkin’ has announced that it will remove the dairy-free milk surcharge at locations nationwide.

The popular fast food restaurant (formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts) has said that plant-based milk will be available at no extra cost at all stores from March 5, 2025.

This means that the five largest US coffee chains – Dunkin’, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Dutch Bros, and Scooters Coffee – now all offer dairy-free milk to customers for no added cost. Dunkin’ is the second-largest coffee chain in the country after Starbucks with nearly 10,000 storefronts across the US.

A Dunkin’ spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company made its decision following feedback from guests, and to allow for greater beverage customization “at great value.” Dairy-free surcharges vary from location to location, but Bloomberg reported that adding oat milk to a medium cold brew at a Chicago-based Dunkin’ currently costs an additional USD $1.

Plant Based News (PBN) reached out to Dunkin’ for comment.

Dairy-free milk surcharges ‘create barriers’

Photo shows someone pouring foamed milk into a cup of coffee — Adobe Stock Advocacy groups welcomed Dunkin’s decision to scrap its dairy-free milk surcharge

Anti-dairy advocacy group Switch4Good told PBN that it worked with Dunkin’ to demonstrate the benefits of updating its policy on surcharges. The organization also had similar conversations with Starbucks, Dutch Bros, and Tim Hortons.

“I am just so immensely proud that we have worked with yet another coffee giant to dismantle an unjust policy,” said Switch4Good founder and executive director Dotsie Bausch. “To the remaining coffee chains who are still stubbornly stuck in the dark ages: rest assured that the Switch4Good team will not stop until every last coffee chain follows suit and eliminates their non-dairy milk surcharge as well.”

Other animal advocacy groups, including Mercy for Animals, also advocated for the new policy. Both Switch4Good and Mercy For Animals highlight how default surcharges discourage the uptake of sustainable plant-based options and disproportionately impact BIPOC communities through dietary racism.

Millions of people in the US cannot – or choose not to – consume dairy. Lactose intolerance rates are high, affecting more than 90 percent of Asian-American people and 80 percent of Black and Indigenous people.

“Mercy For Animals applauds Dunkin’ for this landmark decision,” said Jennifer Behr, corporate relations manager at Mercy For Animals. “Plant-based milk upcharges create barriers for those who can not or choose not to consume dairy, making this a win for equity and sustainability.”

‘The era of the “milk tax” is ending’

Non-dairy advocacy group No Milk Tax also welcomed the news, and president Taylor Warren noted that “the era of the ‘milk tax’ is ending” in a statement sent to PBN.

“With the largest US coffee chains eliminating their non-dairy upcharges, it’s clear that consumers have won this fight,” continued Warren. “Coffee companies that continue to charge extra for plant-based milk are now fully out of step with both customer expectations and market trends.”