A Starbucks employee has been suspended after allegedly writing “monkey” on a cup before handing it over to a customer who happens to be Black. According to WLBT, the blatant racist act took place in Maryland on November 19, when Monique Pugh ordered a Caramel Frappuccino.
Monique gave the Starbucks employee the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t catch her name when they labeled the cup, but writing the word “monkey” clearly indicated that racism was the catalyst for the slur. “If you didn’t hear my name, you should have said, ‘Excuse me, can you repeat yourself?’ Not once did she do that. She labeled me what she wanted to label me,” Monique said.
How do you in the yr 2022 “accidentally” write “monkey” instead of a Black woman’s name on a Starbucks coffee cup? Then to claim employees will undergo training? What kind of ppl are they hiring (they’re racist duh) that they need training so they won’t call a Black woman monkey? https://t.co/wiJzJH0SfE
— Axel Folio, PhD, fork-tongued faux Tolkien scholar (@ISASaxonists) November 30, 2022
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Impeccable Brands, which runs the licensed Starbucks store located at the Annapolis Mall, issued a statement saying that the “label was made in error.” But to assure Monique that they were taking her complaint seriously, the employee was suspended while an investigation into the matter is being performed. On top of that, staff will be undergoing training to make sure that such an irresponsible and disturbing action never happens again.
But Monique didn’t appreciate the company’s way of words, questioning why these sorts of things were not being taught prior to hiring its employees. “To say you’re taking the necessary steps to make sure that word isn’t put on any more customers’ drinks, it’s like, ‘What were you doing before?’ And the fact that they keep saying it was an honest mistake. So, now, it’s an honest mistake and a labeling error?”
“It’s triggering because it’s basically like, ‘OK, this occurred in our store, but we’re wiping our hands clean.’ Maybe [Starbucks] corporate does need to get involved.”
Starbucks has had a heap of controversies pertaining to racist scandals in recent years, such as the time they instructed staff to no longer wear Black Lives Matter attire to work — a decision they later reversed following intense backlash on social media.
A Maryland Starbucks employee has been suspended after the word “monkey” was written on Monique Pugh’s cup.
An apology letter has been sent, but to Pugh, it feels hollow. Here’s more on her response: https://t.co/LmNiCqi2tA pic.twitter.com/yojijJrMv7
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) November 25, 2022
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In 2020, Starbucks was also under fire when a staff member told a Black customer to wait outside until his order is ready. Then, in 2018, two men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia for doing nothing but sitting inside the store.
Socialites, should people of color consider boycotting Starbucks if this pattern of unprovoked racist attacks continues to take place?