Starbucks Had To Apologize After This Racist Barista Changed A Customer’s Name
There’s rarely a dull moment with Starbucks — new flavors, seasonal cups, and higher security WiFi. But sometimes, what goes on in the store is not so good. Even after thousands of stores closed in May for racial bias training after two black men were arrested in Philadelphia for waiting for their friends, it clearly wasn’t enough.
A Starbucks barista allegedly changed a customer’s name, and it was super racist. Johncarl Festejo, a Filipino-American veteran, was called “Chang” to receive his order. Festejo went to the coffee shop to get a hot chocolate and banana nut bread, and a chocolate frappuccino for his daughter.
When his order was ready, the workers kept calling out “Chang” when it was for Festejo. He confirmed his name on his Starbucks app as “John,” and he even brought it up to the barista who took his order. Initially, he told the barista that his name was John. But when he brought it up to her, he saw her just “snicker.”
“We didn’t expect this, especially this day in age,” Festejo told KCRA. “Especially what just occurred recently in Starbucks, I didn’t expect this would happen.”
Customer's name is John, barista placed the name "Chang" on his order. Guess the racial bias education training wasn't effective! @Starbuckshttps://t.co/zNeypRVJV9
— deziree a. (@deziree_a) December 1, 2018
Festejo took the issue up to corporate, and received an apology from them, as well as from a district manager. A Starbucks representative told Delish that they “have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and the experience in question was not reflective of our mission and values.” They also said that they reached out to Festejo to let him know they are investigating the issue.
It’s not confirmed whether the barista has been fired, but KCRA reported that she hasn’t been assigned new shifts due to the investigation. You’d think Starbucks would be tired of all the complaints, but it looks like it’s starting to be business as usual for them.
