Starbucks employees still have not learned their lesson.
Just two weeks ago, Starbucks came under fire for calling the police on two black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, who at their Philly location for a meeting. Now, one of the chain’s employees thought it was amusing to use racial slurs to describe their customer.
Pedro, whose last name has been withheld, ordered two coffees at the chain’s La Cañada Flintridge location in California. When he received his order, the word 'beaner' was written on the cup, in place of his name.
Clearly, the barista thought using the term was cute. But as defined by Urban Dictionary, a ‘beaner’ is “a Mexican person living in the United States that supposedly eats beans. Usually, an illegal immigrant that recently crossed the US border.”
Not funny at all. Especially with all the heightened racial tension throughout the country.
As a form of compensation, the location offered Pedro a $50 gift card. "I didn't accept it because it’s like an insult overall," he said.
In a statement, Starbucks said it is working fix their mistake.
"This is not the experience that we want for our clients," the statement said. "We asked for his forgiveness and we are working to correct this. Also, we are investigating the incident to ensure this will not be repeated."
We have a question for Starbucks: What kind of “racial-bias education” did their staff receive?