Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Philadelphia Starbucks Faces Backlash After Cashier Mistakenly Prints 'Isis' On Muslim Men's Cups

Philadelphia Starbucks Faces Backlash After Cashier Mistakenly Prints 'Isis' On Muslim Men's Cups
Maskot/Getty Images

Grabbing a quick cup of coffee turned into quite a sour experience for a group of Muslim young men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia recently.

The three stopped at the Starbucks location to get some coffee to-go and had already grabbed their drinks and left the store before realizing what had been printed in the "customer name" section on their drink labels.


In that spot where a name should have been was "*ISIS*" instead of the name of the person who had ordered the drinks.

Niquel Johnson had given his Muslim name, Aziz, when asked for a name for the order. Johnson said that he has been using the name for the last 25 years and has never had this issue before.

Abigail Hauslohner reported the incident on Twitter:

The group were frequent visitors of this particular location, as it is in their neighborhood and close to their workplace.

It is also frequented by the congregants of a nearby mosque, so employees are used to seeing Muslim customers.

Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges told The Washington Post:

"After investigating, we don't believe this was a case of discrimination or profiling. The customer approached and provided the name Aziz. The barista mistakenly spelled it incorrectly. We have connected with Mr. Johnson and apologized for this regrettable mistake."

An earlier statement from the Starbucks official claimed that the company had contacted Johnson's family to relay their apologies. But Johnson says the niece, Alora, they claimed to have spoken to does not exist in his family.

So not only did Starbucks fail to properly follow up on the online complaint from Johnson, but they also discussed the case with an unknown woman who has no relation to Johnson and allowed her to speak for him.

Johnson had provided his own phone number on the online complaint form, so it should have been simple to make sure they were contacting the correct person.

On a call with another Starbucks representative, Brian Dragone, there were attempts to reconcile how the company managed to speak to someone unrelated to Johnson and to apologize.

Johnson was not interested in empty apologies, however:

"No, this can't be resolved by a simple apology at this point. I feel as though I was discriminated against, and there's no apology that can simply be an apology at this point. I just think your colleague is making this story up."

Johnson is considering legal action against the company, but has not decided on a course of action yet, saying:

"I feel like they're not taking it seriously as it is. You think they would have their facts in order. How could they allow anyone to speak for me?"

Several people on Twitter pointed out that Starbucks baristas' track record for spelling names is not that great, lending credence to that possible explanation.



Given incidents of racial profiling and discrimination at Starbucks locations over the past few years, including one that caused the company to shut down its locations for a full day for sensitivity training, one would think that employees would be better trained.

Even if the name on the cups was an honest spelling error or a case of having misheard the name in a loud environment, the way that Starbucks has handled the complaint process has definitely failed to hold up to expectations.

The book American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear is available here.

********

Listen to the first two episodes of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!', where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.

Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

More from Trending

Ed Sheeran
Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

Ed Sheeran Claps Back After Being Mocked For Saying He Identifies Culturally As Irish

Whether you love his music or think it's overhyped, everyone and their mother knows who Ed Sheeran is.

The English-based singer of pop and pop-folk became a worldwide sensation practically overnight, especially for songs like "Shape of You," "Shivers," "Perfect," and, to a more niche collective, "Galway Girl."

Keep ReadingShow less
Miley Cyrus
Aeon/GC Images

Miley Cyrus Reveals The NSFW Reason She Was Fired As The Star Of 'Hotel Transylvania'

Miley Cyrus has been in the public eye since the moment she signed a contract for the blockbuster hit Disney Channel show Hannah Montana at the tender age of 13.

Growing up in the spotlight, with every moment analyzed by the media, made her a household name, but also had far-reaching consequences for deviating from her public persona's narrative.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cartoon Network headquarters; Pride flags
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images

Cartoon Network Trolls Homophobes Hard For Melting Down Over Pride Month Fan Art

The cable TV channel Cartoon Network, like most normal people, is celebrating Pride Month this month, and it did so with a post on Instagram that, predictably, has conservatives crying in their Cheerios like a bunch of triggered babies.

The post featured fan art depicting characters from the network's roster of shows over the years waving various LGBTQ+ Pride flags and the like.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of AI generated video of Donald Trump
@WhiteHouse/X

White House Dragged After Sharing Doctored Video Of Bar Erupting In Cheers Over Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

On Tuesday, the official social media account for the White House tried to drum up support for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, but only on right-wing platforms.

The legislation to further Project 2025 through more tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts to programs that serve the poor and working class has struggled since the start.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump speaking to military members at Fort Bragg
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Trump Gets U.S. Military Troops To Boo Democrats And 'Fake News' During Alarming Speech

Members of the military stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, erupted in boos when President Donald Trump goaded them during a speech in which he attacked former President Joe Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the "fake news" covering the ongoing protests in L.A. in response to the Trump administration's immigration raids.

The military has a longstanding tradition of remaining nonpartisan so it was striking that those in attendance, many of whom wore military fatigues, booed in the first place.

Keep ReadingShow less