Is J.Co Donuts in Dubai fake?

The official J.Co website says it all, though there’s really no official black and white announcement about it until this date. If you visit www.jcodonuts.com, a popup like the screenshot above will show.

Rumors of being a fake franchise started when this screenshot of a reply from ‘supposedly’ the JCo customer service email support (hello@jcodonuts.com), surfaced, few days after the store in Al Ghurair Centre opened.

This post below from a certain ‘Andro Amadeus Chavez’ who ‘introduced himself’ as an area manager of a J.Co branch in the Philippines added fuel to the fire. Interestingly, the name cannot be found anymore from a Google search.

Curiously, the link to JCo Philippines Twitter account on the website is wrong. It is linking to https://twitter.com/JCOPhilippines1 which is not totally Jco PH. Hmmm…

J.Co Donuts operate legitimately in only 4 Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines.

What I can’t understand is, who and why, in the right mind of a true business person would he pursue a popular business that will have obvious legal repercussions as far as franchising and patent rules are concerned? Or maybe such things doesn’t exist? How about the tight scrutiny of Dubai Chamber of Commerce of the franchise’s registration? …if indeed it is fake. Just asking…

I never tried the donuts here yet. Didn’t have the patience to fall in line for a piece of fake, i mean, cake. But the public shares different opinions. Some says it tastes authentic, many rues the glaring difference in texture, flavor and fluffiness. The reviews on Facebook are full of disappointments and dissatisfaction.

First day high. Fans of J.Co patiently queued for hours to get through their favorite donuts.

So what happens next? I also want to know.