Love ’em or hate ’em, rules give life structure. And while some rules are necessary, others may seem excessive until you look a bit more closely…
For example, the popular coffee chain Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) has strict — and quite a lot of — nail-related rules for its employees.
Sure, nobody wants to be a few bites into their Snackin’ Bacon and find acrylic fingernails belonging to their favorite Dunkin’ barista. No matter how much you like someone, that can change a relationship. However, it seems that Dunkin’ has gone overboard.
A Dunkin’ employee handbook explicitly details many of the no-nails rules: No artificial nails of any kind, no “nail charms,” and no fun nail decals. That’s not all; there are also rules about natural nails: “not more than ½” long from the tip of the finger.”
Being a franchise, Dunkin’ has slightly different rules for each location. However, some Dunkin’ locations allow gels without false extensions, despite the no-artificial-nails directive across the board.
But, seemingly, this bizarre rule is not entirely made up by the famous chain. The FDA’s 2017 Food Code has an entire section on fingernails (yes, seriously). So, according to the FDA recommendation, “a food employee may not wear fingernail polish or artificial fingernails when working with exposed food.”
According to FDA guidelines, plastic gloves are an acceptable alternative to the no-nails policy.
Here’s a cool sketch about Dunkin’. Check it out.