A Starbucks Barista Allegedly Wrote A Racist Slur On A Customer's Cup

As unfortunate as it is, racist incidents occur in the fast food industry. Infamously, Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter retired from the company after using a racial slur in a 2018 conference call (per The New York Times). Upon stepping down from his position, he admitted his comments were "inappropriate and hurtful," though he downplayed the incident by saying that "Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s," as his excuse (via Forbes). 

In 2015, a mother found a racist note inside her child's Wendy's meal that contained an offensive word, resulting in the firing of two employees (per Eyewitness News). "My child is now aware of what racism is, and what that word means," mother Manige Osowski said. "And it's because of this card."

The most recent racist allegation involves a more direct insult, as a Starbucks customer's name was printed on a cup in what appeared to be a statement towards the person themselves, according to Today.

A customer at a Maryland Starbucks left unhappy after her cup had what appeared to be a racist statement written on it (per Today). When her order was taken, the customer said her name was Monique, yet "monkey" is what the since-suspended employee wrote on her venti Caramel Frappuccino. "It was one of those in-the-moment things where your heart just drops and you're just like, 'What?'" Monique Pugh said of reading "monkey" on her cup. When Pugh asked a barista why she was "the only Black person in the store and 'monkey' [was] written on [her] cup," he gave an unconcerned shrug.

Amit Sehgal from Impeccable Brands, the company that licenses this specific location, sent a lengthy apology to Pugh, claiming the incident was a mistake. "We can do better. As an immediate step, I have taken action with the employee and have addressed their behavior with them directly," they said. A Starbucks spokesperson later revealed to Mashed that the word has been barred from use on any future cups and the customer has been reached out to directly. Impeccable brands have agreed to a third-party investigation to understand the problem.