Starbucks issues statement over viral Charlie Kirk drink order controversy
Starbucks has issued a statement after a trend related to Charlie Kirk has gained traction online.
The coffee chain was forced to step in just days after a clip started circulating on TikTok of a customer ordering a drink with the late political activist's name.
Kirk was a conservative activist known for founding Turning Point USA and hosting events at universities across the US to discuss politics with young people.
Aged 31, Kirk was shot on 10 September during an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) in front of around 3,000 people.
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And a week on from the assassination, people online have started a viral trend involving not just Kirk's name, but his favourite Starbucks order, which he'd mentioned in the past.
A video posted on TikTok back on 16 September showed a customer walking to a Starbucks chain in Ucaipa, California, attempting to order a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys.
For context, Turning Point USA posted a video on Facebook back in July, where Kirk claimed he orders 'Mint Majesty tea with two honeys' as he could lose his voice at events, even claiming he would drink 'nine of them a day.'
However, in the original video, the user attempted to get the barista to write Kirk's name on the cup, but the Starbucks worker declined, claiming they 'can't do political names' before offering to write 'Charlie', which the customer was not pleased with.
"Why can't you write the whole name?" they asked, as the barista said: "Because it's political."
But now, Starbucks have released a statement, confirming on Tuesday (16 September): "There are no restrictions on customers using Charlie Kirk’s name on their order, and we are following up with our team."
The following day, they released an even longer statement about the situation as a result of 'online discussion about our policy for customer names on orders'.
They said that customers can use any names, including Charlie Kirk's, when ordering their drinks as they 'aim to respect their preference'.
"Starbucks is a company built on human connection. Having a name, rather than a number, attached to a customer order has been a core part of the Starbucks coffeehouse experience for decades. Most customers use their own name," they stated.
The chain then spoke about people who have 'tried to abuse the system', by using a political slogan in an attempt to get a 'barista to shout it out as they hand off the finished drink', while others 'have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive'.
Starbucks clarified that they aim to make everyone feel welcome, adding that there were restrictions in place for political phrases, but explained: "We are clarifying with our team now that names, on their own, can be used by customers on their café order, as they wish."
Speaking of how names on the cups allow 'baristas to connect with customers', they also want to weed out any negative messages. They also pointed out that markers are accessible to all, so you can write on your cup after picking it up.
This trend has even resulted in claims that baristas wrote critical messages on their requests, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
Starbucks have since carried out an investigation and found that these were 'not written by a Starbucks partner' and were likely added afterwards 'by someone else'.
They concluded in their statement that they aim to create 'a welcoming space' for all to 'enjoy a great cup of coffee served by a friendly barista'.
Topics: Starbucks, Charlie Kirk, Social Media, Food And Drink
Joshua Nair