ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Starbuck has suspended an employee and launched an investigation after a Maryland woman complained that her cup had the word “monkey”, printed underneath the customer’s name.
Monique Pugh stated that the incident occurred on November 19, at a Starbucks in Annapolis Mall.
Pugh claims that she was the only Black woman on the line when the label was printed.
Pugh claims that she alerted baristas about the name being printed after the incident. She claims that one of the baristas responded nonchalantly, stating it was a mistake.
Pugh asked for a refund and then left the store to contact Starbuck’s customer support.
According to her, the general manager of the store called her and offered her an apology, along with a complimentary drink and sandwich. She declined.
Maryland Starbucks: Woman claims she received a cup with the name of a monkey printed on it
Starbuck has suspended an employee and launched an investigation after a Maryland woman complained that her cup had the word “monkey”, printed underneath the customer’s name.
FOX 5 reached out at Starbucks to make a statement.
According to the company, they are currently working with Impeccable Brands’ licensee store to investigate the matter.
The complete statement can be viewed below.
“We want everyone in our stores – including both Starbucks operated and those operated by our licensees – to treat each other with dignity and respect. We don’t tolerate any disrespectful behavior or making customers feel uncomfortable. We are aware that an incident occurred at Impeccable Brands’ Annapolis, MD store. We are working closely with their leadership team to quickly investigate the matter with their employees and take any necessary actions.
Additionally, the company stated that they are working to make sure offensive words are not printed on future order labels.
FOX 5 also reached Out to Impeccable Brands regarding the incident. Pugh identified the victim as Tina, a barista at the store. The store’s owners have suspended the employee until further investigation is completed.
According to the statement, the word was printed in error. However, they are trying to prevent it from happening again.
The complete statement can be viewed below.
“As licensees of Starbucks, our commitment is to uphold the brand’s mission and values in all of our customer interactions as well as business operations. We regret the unfortunate incident at our Annapolis store. We have placed the employee responsible for the incident on suspension pending further investigation and have apologized to the customer. Following our initial investigation we concluded that the label was erroneous. We are working hard to make sure this doesn’t happen again. To ensure that future interactions are inclusive and welcoming, we are looking at other ways to train our staff to understand cultural and racial sensibilities.
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Pugh said that the incident left her “traumatized and saddened” and raised concerns about Starbuck’s training of its employees.
Pugh states that Tina, the barista who called me a monkey, completed the racial training. This implies that she was conscious of her actions and the possible consequences. “I want this matter to be addressed quickly, and I want to see an end to racial discrimination.”