![Starbucks Starbucks](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/023/621/Starbucks_cup-1024x586.jpg)
Starbucks
This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!
You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.
About
Starbucks is an extremely popular coffeeshop chain. Since starting in Seattle in the late 1970s, Starbucks has opened over 24,000 locations globally as of 2016, becoming one of the most recognizable fast food chain restaurants around the world. Their headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington.
History and Impact
The first Starbucks was opened on March 31st, 1971[1] in Seattle, Washington by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. The company's name is taken from the chief mate of Moby Dick, Starbuck. The company was sold to Howard Schultz in 1987, who served as the company's CEO from 1987-2000, and again from 2008-2017, before stepping down as Ken Johnson assumed the role. During Schultz' tenure, the company widely expanded, with its first store outside of the United States opening in Tokyo, Japan in 1996. Its logo is a twin-tailed mermaid, or "siren."
Notable Products
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pumpkin Spice Latte is an espresso coffee drink made with a variety of traditional fall spice flavors (usually cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), pumpkin pie spice and steamed milk. Since its introduction by the American global coffeehouse chain Starbucks in 2003 as a seasonal special product for the last quarter of each year, the coffee drink and other pumpkin spice-flavored products have enjoyed commercial success for over a decade. Online, it is often mocked as a stereotypical drink consumed by "basic" white women.
On August 4th, 2014 the "Pumpkin Spice Latte" Twitter feed was launched, which posts tweets written from the perspective of the coffee drink. Within two months, the feed gained over 93,500 followers. On August 8th, the "The Real PSL" Tumblr blog was launched, which highlights notable Pumpkin Spice Latte-related images. On August 25th, the food blog Food Babe published an article and infographic denouncing the ingredients used in the coffee drink.
![bbc.jpg DISSECTING STARBUCKS âPumpkin" Spice Latte Think before you drink. 2 doses of Caramel Color Level IV coloring made with ammonia and considered a carcinogen Absolutely No Real Pumpkin in ingredients ăŒ-. Made with ''Monsanto Milk" cows fed GMO corn, soy, and cottonseed or soy milk that contains Carrageenan stabilizer linked to intestinal inflammation and cancer Toxic dose of Sugar ("Grande" has over 50 grams of sugar) .Ambiguous Natural Flavors that can be made from anything found on earth Artificial Flavors made from substances like petroleum Preservatives & Sulfites that can cause allergic reactions .Possible Pesticide Residue from using non-organic coffee beans Contains condensed conventional milk, NOT VEGAN even with soy milk options FOOD BABE FoodBabe.com #FoodBabeArmy](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/837/334/bbc.jpg)
On September 4th, BuzzFeed published a listicle titled "25 Things All Basic White Girls Do During The Fall," which included "Get on that Pumpkin Spice Latte grind" as #1 on the list.
![10e.png 25 Things All Basic White Girls Do During The Fall My favorite color is October." posted on Sept 4, 2014, at 7:39 p.m. Lara Parker BuzzFeed Staff Christian Zamora BuzzFeed Staff 1. Get on that Pumpkin Spice Latte grind. rycebran View on Instagram](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/837/320/10e.png)
Unicorn Frappucino
Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino refers to a popular, limited time-only beverage item sold at Starbucks Coffee. Online, the Unicorn Frappuccino has generated a range of reactions, from praise to outrage, particularly from Starbucks baristas.
The earliest mentions of the Unicorn Frappuccino began about a week before its release, when baristas began posting about it on various websites. On April 11th, 2017, Instagram user @super_hiro_pope posted a picture of the Unicorn Frappaccuino with the caption, "If you don't believe in Unicorns, it's ok, cause the #unicornfrappuccino is coming to a #Starbucks near you. Launching 4/19-4/23!!!"
![Unicorn Frap](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/245/998/c0d.png)
On April 12th, Reddit user outside_the_madness posted a bag of "Pink Powder" (shown below, left) to the /r/starbucks subreddit. The next day, Reddit user Hellabummed posted a photo (shown below, right) of a blue powered labeled "Unicorn Dust" to the thread "Unicorn frapp topping." Cosmopolitan reported that Starbucks would be releasing the Unicorn Frappuccino.
![Does anyone know what this is for? Starbucks . 3545 Pink Powder/ Poudre Rosc NOT FOR RETAIL SALE /NE PAS VENDRE A LUN SKU # 1 1076040 vesea es Proout po Starbucks Cofee Company 00762111234100 FORE /MELLER ET:591 1 (17.840:) NET meră Pink Powder Do Not Open Until 17](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/245/996/e39.jpg)
![https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/bk3fxdcvft2z5xb036hr5fe2sbdsowv-2qfts-or-ny-1492100219.jpg?crop= UNICORN DUST](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/245/995/084.jpg)
On April 19th, Starbucks released the Unicorn Frappuccino, a caffeine-free, bright pink and blue beverage that would only be available until April 23rd. Easter describes it as:
"A crĂšme Frappuccino blended with pink powder and mango syrup. Itâs got a sour blue topping and pink powder dusted whipped cream on top. The inside of the drink has a purple hue at first, but as you mix all the stuff together it turns pink."
By April 20th, baristas began posting on the /r/subreddit their problems with making the drink. One Redditor, zeph_yr their problems in the thread "Day 1 of Unicorn Frappuccino and I wanna die." They write:
We're almost out of the blue mucus. Our cold bar counter is bright purple. One of our blenders shattered while making a unicorn with extra unicorn shit. One of my partners is screaming.
Edit 5:30 pm: Out of blue unicorn mucus. Putting in extra blue unicorn dandruff instead. As one customer said, "as long as it looks the same!"
Edit 7:35pm: The unicorn is dead. RIP unicorn. People are rioting outside.
On April 20th, Kotaku posted an article "Starbucks Workers Unprepared For Unicorn Frappuccino Armageddon." The article outlined the complaints baristas waged on Reddit, collecting the following complaints.
![Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino Kotaku In Houston - We had another store call us if we had extra pink powder since they were running low and apparently they had 42 UNICORN FRAP ORDER! I do not know what size they were... but FORTY F------ TWO!! We made 417 unicorn frappuccinos today. For f---- sake. I've been working a never ending line up since 12. And it's already 5:30. AND THERES ONLY F------ TWO OF US WORKING. By the time I'd left (at 6.30), we'd sold 40o for the day. The prep wasn't done. The floors weren't done. We hadn't even started on pre- closing tasks. I couldn't even say the name of the f------ drink without feeling so embarrassed? We just had a college class of 20 people come into cafe and each order one, most of them with modifications so we couldn't even use the same blender. PLUS every single car in DT ordering at LEAST 2 unicorn frapps. All this with a whole 4 people working and breaks to run I was off at 7, we sold 400 and it just kept going. And we had a dept count. And a delivery. ...I never though I'd have a near break down while covered in pink dust.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/246/035/0c8.png)
Controversies
Dumb Starbucks
Dumb Starbucks Coffee is the name of a coffee shop that opened in Los Feliz, California as a parody of the American global coffeehouse chain Starbucks. Upon its opening in February 2014, the store gained much notoriety online after photographs of the storefront began circulating on various social media sites. As part of the store's promotional event for its grand opening, all drinks were served to customers free of charge. In addition, the store offered a âfrequently asked questionsâ sheet, which cited the fair use law as legal protection for parodying the Starbucks coffee chain stores.
![504.jpg STAR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Is this a Starbucks? No. Dumb Starbucks is not athliated in any way with Starbucks Corporation. We are simply using their name and logo for marketing purposes. How is that legal? Short answer parody law Can you elaborate? Of course. By adding the word 'dumb', we are technically "making fun" of Starbucks, which allows us to use their trademarks under a law known as fair use'. Fair use is a doctrine that permits use of copyrighted material in a parodical work without permission from the rights holder. It's the same law that allows Weird Al Yankovic to use the music from Michael Jackson's "Beat It in his parody song "Eat t' So is this a real business? Yes it is. Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categonzed as a work of parody art. So, in the eyes of the law, our "cotfee shop is actually an art gallery and the "cotfee" you're buying is considered the art. But that's for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do enjoy our delicious coffee! Are you saying Starbucks is dumb? Not at all In fact, we love Starbucks and look up to them as role models. Unfortunately, the only way to use their intellectual property under fair use is if we are making fun of them. So the "dumb comes out of necessity, not enmity Okay, Ithink I understand novw Great. Anything else? Iguess not. Okay thanks. See you later! For any other questions, piease contact us at DumbStarbucks@gmail.com.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/695/807/504.jpg)
On February 10th, comedian Nathan Fielder, known for his "If you think you gave an STD" and "2 grams for $40" Twitter pranks, made an announcement in front of the store revealing that he had orchestrated the Dumb Starbucks store claimed that he was not worried about legal action since the coffee house was an art project and that he planned to open a second location in Brooklyn, New York. The same day, the Dumb Starbucks YouTube channel uploaded a video in which Fielder explains that Dumb Starbucks is a "real business I plan to get rich from" (shown below). The stunt later appeared in an episode of his show, Nathan For You.
Red Holiday Cup Controversy
Starbucks Red Holiday Cup Controversy refers to the backlash directed toward the Starbucks coffee company for their 2015 red holiday cup design, which some Christians found offensive and part of The War On Christmas for not including traditional Christmas imagery. On November 1st, 2015, Starbucks unveiled their new solid red holiday cup design (shown below).
![](http://media.breitbart.com/media/2015/11/large_Starbucks-Red-Cups-2015.jpg)
On November 5th, Christian vlogger Joshua Feuerstein posted a video to Facebook asking viewers to provide the name "Merry Christmas" to Starbucks baristas and to post the results online with the hashtag "#MerryChristmasStarbucks" (shown below). Within five days, the video gained over 500,000 shares, 178,000 likes and 51,900 comments. The same day, the conservative news site Breitbart published an article titled "War on Christmas: Starbucks Red Cups Are Emblematic of the Christian Cleansing of the West."
Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus ⊠SO I PRANKED THEM ⊠and they HATE IT!!!! #shareUse #MERRYCHRISTMASSTARBUCKSFollow --> Joshua Feuerstein
Posted by Joshua Feuerstein on Thursday, November 5, 2015
#RaceTogether
#RaceTogether is a promotional Twitter hashtag launched by the American global coffeehouse chain Starbucks to encourage its customers to engage in conversations about the state of race relations in the United States. Upon its launch in March 2015, the campaign immediately became a target of criticisms and mockeries online for its provocative nature.
On March 16th, 2015, Starbucks, in partnership with USA Today, announced a new co-op initiative called "Race Together," which aims to tackle the issue of race in the United States by encouraging its employees at 12,000 locations to âspark customer conversation on the topic of race." According to the USA Today's article, Starbucks baristas at participating locations will serve drinks in cups bearing the hashtag #RaceTogether, along with a "Race Together" pamphlet co-written by the coffeehouse chain and the daily newspaper.
![Starbucks Campaign Poster grogether](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/602/1bc.jpg)
On the morning of March 17th, dozens of Starbucks customers took their reactions to the #RaceTogether campaign on Twitter, with many poking fun at the company's less than subtle attempt at incorporating the ongoing racial tension into their latest PR campaign, while others jeered that the company should instead focus on getting the customers' names right. According to Topsy, the Twitter hashtag garnered more than 67,000 mentions within the first 48 hours of the campaign launch.
![Joke #1 Follow Hasan Minhaj @hasanminha Before they write #RaceTogether on cups, can Starbucks just spell my name correctly? #SahanMinha #HansonMinaja #Saddam Hussain 10:40 AM - 17 Mar 2015 98 RETWEETS 128 FAVORITES](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/620/8dc.png)
![Joke #2 Follow Greg Carr @AfricanaCarr #RaceTogether should matter to @Starbucks. Coffee and sugar were 2 of the 3 drug:s (w/tobacco) that started this mess in the first place. 10:33 AM - 17 Mar 2015 208 RETWEETS 183 FAVORITES](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/621/c05.png)
![Joke #4 Follow April @ReignOfApril Not sure what @Starbucks was thinking. I don't have time to explain 400 years of oppression to you & still make my train. #RaceTogether 7:59 AM-17 Mar 2015 538 RETWEETS 522F](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/624/596.png)
![Joke #3 rogether ace Together Dina Pomeranz @dinapomeranz Follow Starbucks' #RaceTogether invites customers to talk about race. Uses only white hands in related photos: pic.twitter.com/GxQysqnghF via @vidalwuu 9:51 AM-17 Mar 2015 417 RETWEETS 277 FAVORITES ă â](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/622/a53.png)
![Welcome to Starbucks WELCOMETOSTARBUCKS LET'S DISCUSS YOUR WHITE PRIVILEGE](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/601/c64.jpg)
![My To Do List èș ćŁFollow Ameena Rasheed @AmeenaRasheed What I want to do: 1. Eat pizza 2. Pay off my loan debt 77. Hang out with Rihanna 895. Talk about race at Starbucks #RaceTogether RETWEETS FAVORITES](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/933/614/2ea.jpg)
Operation #TrumpCup
Operation #TrumpCup is an activist campaign encouraging supporters of Donald Trump to ask Starbucks baristas to label their coffee cups with the United States President-elect's name. In April 2016, actor Scott Baio posted a photograph of a Starbucks cup with the name "Trump" printed on it in a tweet claiming that the barista "refused to call out" the name (shown below). Within seven months, the tweet garnered more than 2,800 likes and 1,800 retweets.
![Scott Baio's Tweet Tru PROMISE or let us knont Scott Baio @ScottBaio Follow Got wife a coffee(I've never had a cup)The barista refused to call out name, area!DonaldTrump #MustBeABernieVoter 12:04 PM - 2 Apr 2016 ă 1,860 2,878](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/192/396/bb9.jpg)
On November 18th, 2016, Twitter user @bakedalaska tweeted a picture of himself holding a Starbucks cup with the name "Trump" written on it, along with instructions for followers to go to a Starbucks location and give the barista the name Trump (shown below, left). Within 24 hours, the tweeted received more than 9,700 likes and 6,200 retweets. The same day, @bakedalaska tweeted an open letter to Starbucks, announcing that #TrumpCup was "not a 'protest'" (shown below, right).
![Baked Alaska Cup Baked Alaska @bakedalaska y Follow Operation #TrumpCup 1) Go to Starbucks & tell them your name is Trump 2) If they refuse take video Pls share & spread the word 12:39 AM 18 Nov 2016 ë€ 6,276 9,745](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/192/403/0f1.jpg)
![@BakedAlaska Tweet Dear Starbucks, Just for the record, this is not a "protest" like most of the media is reporting. I hope you had the most wonderful and great financial day possible. America loves Starbucks and we used you as an example as how we want to make America great again and show respect for our president and our country. May God bless Starbucks and the USA. Baked Alaska Baked AlaskaTM @bakedalaska Follow My official letter to @Starbucks: 3:07 PM 18 Nov 2016 Burbank, CA ë€ 192 519](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/192/405/e50.jpg)
That day, the hashtag #TrumpCup began trending in the United States on Twitter, leading some to mock the campaign (shown below). Meanwhile, Snopes published an article about the #TrumpCup posts, noting that while the campaign was widely being reported as a "protest," those participating in the hashtag did not seem "to indicate they were objecting to anything.
![Layers of Irony gabagoole casserole @jimpjorps Follow #trumpcup MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN like, maybe 5, or 6 right now. my dude how many layers of meaningless symbolism are you on right now this was supposed to be legs you are like a little baby MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN watch this RETWEETS LIKES 252 2:12 PM 18 Nov 2016 ÂŁ788 252](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/192/412/80d.jpg)
Starbucks Dreamer Day Hoax
Starbucks Dreamer Day Hoax refers to a plot orchestrated by users on 4chanâs /pol/ board to circulate false rumors on social media that the coffee chain Starbucks would grant discounts to undocumented immigrants as part of a "#BorderFreeCoffee" promotion. The plot was hatched on August 2nd, 2017, by an anonymous user on 4chan's /pol/ board. The user suggested:
How about we meme âUndocumented Immigrant Dayâ at Starbucks into existence? Announce free coffee for all illegals on a certain date. August 11? 11 looks like II (for Illegal Immigrant). Iâm open to suggestions there. Name a liberal place for all illegals to go at once and demand free stuff.
Thoughts?
Other users in the thread suggested getting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) involved so that they could deport those that showed up. The same day, Twitter user @VenantDeserod tweeted a fake poster advertising the event (shown below, left). The following day, another anonymous 4chan user posted a poster they had created to spread on social media, detailing that the offer was that all undocumented immigrants would receive a 40% discount on all Starbucks products on August 11th, 2017 (shown below, right).
![Hoax Poster Venant @VenantDeserod Follow #BorderFreeCoffee @Starbucks #Fight Fascism Stunning and Brave #BORDERFREECOFFEE STARBUCKS DREAMER DAY HELP STARBUCKS FIGHT BIGOTRY All undocumented Americans will receive any item on the Starbucks menu 40% off](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/283/089/a05.png)
![4chan Poster STARBUCKS DREAMER DAY AUG 11 All undocumented Americans will receive any item* on the Starbucks menu 40% off #BORDERFREECOFFEE Use the coupon code UNAFRAID for a FREE Grande cold beverage frorn any store At participating locations only](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/283/079/d81.jpg)
Once Starbucks caught wind of the hoax, they began to respond to people spreading the rumor, denying the event was taking place. According to Buzzfeed, the company is investigating the source of the ads.
![Starbucks Response Starbucks Coffee @Starbucks Follow Replying to @ShortTermEnthus This is completely false. Starbucks is not sponsoring any such event. Please do not spread misinformation. 3:19 PM -4 Aug 2017](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/283/093/941.jpeg)
Philadelphia Arrest Controversy
Starbucks Philadelphia Arrest Controversy refers to the public backlash following the arrest of two African American men at a Starbucks, allegedly for loitering in the store without purchasing anything, in April 2018. Upon the police arrival, the men protested that they were waiting for a friend, which was captured on video by another customer and shared on Twitter. The video quickly went viral on Twitter, sparking protests against racial profiling and prompting an apology from the company.
On April 12th, 2018, Twitter [1] user @missydepino posted a video of police arresting two African American men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She captioned the post, "@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadnât ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why itâs never happened to us when we do the same thing." The post (shown below) received more than 12,000 comments,163,000 retweets and 223,000 likes.
Starbucks</a> The police were called because these men hadnât ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why itâs never happened to us when we do the same thing. <a href="https://t.co/0U4Pzs55Ci">pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci</a></p>— Melissa DePino (
missydepino) April 12, 2018
On April 13th, Starbucks's official Twitter account responded directly to the tweet and said, "Weâre reviewing the incident with our partners, law enforcement and customers to determine what took place and led to this unfortunate result." The post (shown below, left) received more than 1,100 retweets and 3,300 likes in three days.
The following day, @Starbucks tweeted an apology for the incident. They wrote, "We apologize to the two individuals and our customers and are disappointed this led to an arrest. We take these matters seriously and clearly have more work to do when it comes to how we handle in our stores. We are reviewing our policies and will continue to engage with our community and the police department to try to ensure these types of situations never happen in any of our stores." The post (shown below, center) received more than 18,000 comments, 6,000 retweets and 19,000 likes.
Additionally, they tweeted[6] a statement from CEO Kevin Johnson and said, "We regret that our practices and training led to the reprehensible outcome at our Philadelphia store. Weâre taking immediate action to learn from this and be better." The post (shown below, right) received more than 2,700 retweets and 6,800 likes in two days.
![Weâre reviewing the incident with our partners, law enforcement and customers to determine what took place and led to this un Starbucks Coffee Starbucks Replying to @missydepino We're reviewing the incident with our partners, law enforcement and customers to determine what took place and led to this unfortunate result.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/362/737/9a3.jpg)
![We apologize to the two individuals and our customers for what took place at our Philadelphia store on Thursday. Starbucks Coffee @Starbucks We apologize to the two individuals and our customers for what took place at our Philadelphia store on Thursday. We apologize to the two individuals and our customers and are disappointed this led to an arrest. We take these matters seriously and clearly have more work to do when it comes to how we handle incidents in our stores. We are reviewing our policies and will continue to engage with the community and the police department to try to ensure these types of situations never happen in any of our stores.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/362/740/966.jpg)
![We regret that our practices and training led to the reprehensible outcome at our Philadelphia store. Weâre taking immediate Starbucks Coffee @Starbucks We regret that our practices and training led to the reprehensible outcome at our Philadelphia store. We're taking immediate action to learn from this and be better. A statement from ceo Kevin Johnson: Starbucks ceo: Reprehensible outcome in Philadelphia event The basis for the call to that led to the arrest of two men in a Philadelphia Starbucks was wrong and it should never have been made, wrote ceo Ke... news.starbucks.com](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/362/741/9c4.jpg)
On April 15th, the Twitter account for Philly Weekly wrote (shown below) that the CEO would be meeting with the two men "face-to-face." They wrote, "Starbucks CEO will travel to Philly with hopes to 'meet personally with the two men who were arrested to offer a face-to-face apology.'" The post (shown below) received more than 120 retweets and 295 likes in 24 hours.
![Starbucks CEO will travel to Philly with hopes to "meet personally with the two men who were arrested to offer a face-to-face Starbucks CEO will travel to Philly with hopes to "meet personally with the two men who were arrested to offer a face-to-face apology." Starbucks Coffee Ѐ @Starbucks We regret that our practices and training led to the reprehensible outcome at our Philadelphia store. We're taking immediate action to learn from this and be better. A statement from ceo Kevin Johnson: sbux.co/2veMz8m Show this thread](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/362/757/a7c.png)
The following day, CEO Kevin Johnson posted a video apology on the Starbucks website (clip below).
On April 17th, Starbucks announced that they would be closing more than 8,000 stores nationwide on May 29th, 2018 to conduct racial-bias training. The training will focus on preventing discrimination in Starbucks stores.
#FreeBlackCoffee
#FreeBlackCoffee is a hoax campaign orchestrated in late April 2018 by anonymous 4chan users who circulated photoshopped Starbucks coupons falsely claiming to provide "1 free beverage" as an apology for the controversial arrest of two African Americans waiting at a coffee store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On April 15th, Twitter user @VibeHi uploaded a video of himself successfully demanding a free coffee at a Starbucks location (shown below).
Starbucks is racist https://t.co/fPf3ERMlXX
â Hotep Jesus đ§ (@VibeHi) April 15, 2018
On April 17th, threads began appearing on 4chan's /pol/ board encouraging viewers to tweet out fake Starbucks coupons for free coffees along with the hashtag #FreeBlackCoffee (shown below).
![/pol/ thread â #FreeBlackCoffee Anonymous (ID: EUROD)ć04/17/18(Tue)19:37:11 No. 168511 564ćⶠ221685 11751 >>168512 168517647 168518017 168518246 168518618 168518881168519080 168519297 168519793 168520824 16852095416 168525074168525091 2168525599 WE'RE SORRY 0585 15254 >>168521 881 >> 16852 1945 >> 168521950 >> 16852 1997 >>168522091 > 168522221 >> 168522560 > 168523 164 168524472 168524484 >>16 16 168530101168530312168530428168530518168530520 168532028>168532479 Alright boys, fire up the Twitter cannons. Tweet this image and a nice message to our friends of color and make sure to include #FreeBlackCoffee somewhere in there. Let's get this trending. ⥠Anonymous (ID: @mengga)ćœ04/17/18(Tue)19:38:43 No.1 68511751 168511564 (OP) Gibs! Gibs for black people! Anonymous (ID: UVUgRn) 04/17/18(Tue)19:41:27 No. 168512067 LET US BE GIN](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/363/562/48a.jpg)
Beaner Cup Controversy
Starbucks "Beaner" Cup Controversy refers to the public reaction toward Starbucks after a Latino customer reportedly received a cup with a racial slur written in place of his name. The company has apologized to the customer, but many compared the incident to another in which two African American men were arrested for sitting in a Starbucks restaurant. On May 15th, 2018, a Latino Starbucks customer named Pedro received an order with the word "Beaner" printed on the cup as oppose to his name (image below). That day, Pedro's co-worker Priscilla Hernandez tweeted, "One of our cooks went in to @Starbucks on Gould & Foothill this morning in La Canada & out of all the names they can put on his cup they decide to put âbeaner.â We called & complained & their excuse was they couldnât understand him. Regardless; there are MANY names you can put." The post (shown below) received more than 1,900 retweets and 2,500 likes before being deleted.
![One of our cooks went in to @Starbucks on Gould & Foothill this morning in La Canada & out of all the names they can put on h One of our cooks went in to @Starbucks on Gould & Foothill this morning in La Canada & out of all the names they can put on his cup they decide to put "b-----." We called & complained & their excuse was they couldn't understand him. Regardless, there aree MANY names you can put Item: 2 of 2 Itens in order: 2 B----- It lod Caral Mach Tine: 8:44:56 AM Reg : 2 >CAFE<](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/373/645/170.png)
Following the post by Hernandez, the Twitter account for Starbucks Help responded with an apology. They wrote, "Thank you for letting us know, Priscilla. This is not the welcoming experience we aim to provide, and we have reached out to this customer to apologize and make this right. -Ryan." Within three day, the tweet[2] (shown below) received more than 20 retweets and 20 likes.
![Thank you for letting us know, Priscilla. This is not the welcoming experience we aim to provide, and we have reached out to Starbucks Help @starbuckshelp Replying to @priscillaah2422 Thank you for letting us know, Priscilla. This is not the welcoming experience we aim to provide, and we have reached out to this customer to apologize and make this right. Ryan](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/373/642/c1d.jpg)
On May 17th, reporter Shomari Stone tweeted, "Pedro doesnât believe the slur was an accident because the Starbucks barista called his name once his order was ready. In an effort to compensate the experience, Starbucks offered him a $50 gift card. 'I didn't accept it because its like an insult overall.'" The tweet received more than 1,900 retweets and 3,500 likes in 24 hours.
That day, California State Representative Norma J. Torres tweeted three images labeled "Human Beings," "Coffee Beans" and "Beans." She captioned the post, "Free diversity training for @Starbucks #GetIt." The post received more than 1,100 retweets and 4,000 likes in 24 hours.
Twitter user @NickPonticello tweeted, "Starbucks printed a racial slur on a customerâs cup and they offered him a $50 gift card as an apology! They need way more than one day of racial-bias training. Go to your local #Starbucks and demand an apology! And always insist they get your name right!" The post received more than 800 retweets and 1,800 likes in 24 hours.
Anti-Bias Training
On May 29th, Starbucks closed over 8,000 stores in the afternoon for a 3-hour anti-bias training seminar, which is estimated to include up to 180,000 employees.[2] Experts estimate Starbucks could lose $12 million in revenue for the training, which will "focus on understanding prejudice and the history of public accommodations in the United States," according to the company. The sessions were closed to the media. The morning of the training, the Starbucks Twitter account tweeted about the sessions, gaining over 1,400 retweets and 6,500 likes (shown below).
![Starbucks Tweet Starbucks Coffee FollowV )Starbucks For several hours this afternoon, we will close stores and offices to discuss how to make Starbucks a place where all people feel welcome. Thank you for your patience and support as we renew our promise to make Starbucks an inclusive gathering place for all. See you tomorrow. 9:05 AM-29 May 2018](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/376/976/e5c.png)
Porn Ban
On November 26th, 2018, the Enough Is Enough YouTube channel uploaded a video in which activist Donna Rice Hughes discusses pressure the organization placed on Starbucks to censor their Wi-Fi networks (shown below).
On November 28th, 2018, Business Insider[3] published an article which included a statement from Starbucks announcing that the company would be blocking customers from viewing porn while using their Wi-Fi service in coffee shops. That day, The Verge[4] published a similar statement from the company:
"While it rarely occurs, the use of Starbucks public Wi-Fi to view illegal or egregious content is not, nor has it ever been permittedâŠWe have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019."
The following day, Mashable[5] reported that PornHub would be launching a new "Safe For Work" category on the site for those wanting to browse the website while at a Starbucks location.
Related Memes
15 Minutes Late With Starbucks
15 Minutes Late With Starbucks is an expression used to mock someone who shows up late to a meeting or event because he or she appears to have stopped for coffee on the way. On September 3rd, 2012, Twitter user emre published a tweet which claimed that pop singer Taylor Swift looked like someone who would show up late to class with Starbucks. Within the next six months, the tweet received over 1,000 retweets and 700 favorites.
taylor swift looks like those white girls who show up 10 minutes late to class with starbucks every day
â emre(@chanelpuke) September 3, 2012
![7cb.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/510/097/7cb.jpg)
![e3e.png](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/510/098/e3e.png)
![5b4.png Harbucks Wow, Sorry 0 late 10](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/509/779/5b4.png)
Starbucks Name FAIL
Starbucks Name FAIL is a series of photographs documenting misspelled names of customers written on the side of cups at the global coffeehouse chain Starbucks. In September 2005, Starbucks enacted a new policy requiring baristas to write the names of customers on the side of their cups. On May 13th, 2010, a Tumblr blog titled "Starbucks Got My Name Wrong" was launched, which highlights photographs of misspelled names written on Starbucks cups (shown below).
![efa.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/675/521/efa.jpg)
![a45.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/675/522/a45.jpg)
![dcc.jpg domesticait This is for Theo....not even close"](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/675/524/dcc.jpg)
Starbucks-chan
Gashi-gashi's Starbucks-chan, also referred to as Stb-chan, is an anime-inspired cartoon character based on the multinational coffee chain Starbucks' iconic green siren logo. It is also inspired by the controversy of Starbucks' temporary revival of its original logo between 2006 and 2008.
In 2006 and early 2008, the Starbucks' company reintroduced a revamped version of their original brown logo of the twin-tailed Siren. The logo featured the full-body of the Siren in a Navasana pose, topless, with her upper body covered in flowing hair, leaving only her naval visible. In response to the change, many Christian groups boycotted the company for having,
"âŠa naked women on it with her legs spread like a prostituteâŠThe company might as well call themselves, Slutbucks." â Mark Dice, Founder of the Resistance
![Original Starbucks Logo "Reference" BUCKO 8 TM](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/251/580/419.jpg)
On March 10th, 2017, Twitter user @uejini, a.k.a Gashi-gashi, posted an anime-like illustration of the siren based off her Navasana pose within the logo along with the caption, "i love coffee". The post accumulated 49 comments, 1.2k shares and 4.7k likes over the past months. Two days after the original image was posted, @uejini posted another illustration of STB-chan holding a coffee cup with the phrase, "Drink it," in the foreground.
![Original Image](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/251/083/8d5.png)
![Drink it](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/251/086/af2.jpg)
In the following months, Gashi-gashi as well as many other artists began posting more illustrations of his design of STB-chan on sites such as DeviantArt and Twitter. Gashi-gashi's Starbucks-chan was also featured on a mega thread on /co/ following the creation of Smug Wendy's.
Search Interest
External References
[2] USA Today â Starbucks anti-bias training: Here's what to expect as the coffee chain closes 8,000 stores
[3] Business Insider â Starbucks says it is finally going to block customers from watching porn in stores after years of pressure
[4] The Verge â Starbucks says itll block porn on its public Wi-Fi next year
[5] Mashable â Pornhub responds to Starbucks porn ban with a clever new SFW idea
Recent Videos
There are no videos currently available.
Top Comments
Ingway
Nov 30, 2018 at 03:04PM EST
Evilthing
May 29, 2018 at 03:35PM EDT