FILE – Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at the Turning Point Believers’ Summit, July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
A worker at a Starbucks was terminated after writing a hateful message on an order for a fan of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Ohio resident Autumn Perkins recently visited a Starbucks inside her local Kroger and did what many Kirk fans have been doing since the Turning Point USA founder was shot and killed earlier this month: ordering his favorite Starbucks drink, a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys.
Perkins found, however, that when she received her beverage, an employee had written on the side: “Racist’s fav drink.”
Perkins was flabbergasted.
“I feel like Charlie stood for respect — we don’t have to agree on everything. We can disagree on a lot of things, but we respect each other,” Perkins told Fox News Digital about the incident.
After confronting the manager, Perkins was told the employee admitted to writing the message and had been fired.
Starbucks called the actions by the employee “unacceptable,” while clarifying that the location in question is owned and operated by Kroger.
“Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this associate was terminated by Kroger,” Starbucks said in a statement.
Kroger also condemned the employee’s actions in a statement.
In a separate statement, Starbucks addressed the recent trend of customers asking for Charlie Kirk’s name or a political slogan to be written on cups.
“When a customer wants to use a different name — including the name Charlie Kirk — when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference,” the statement reads. “Over the years, we have had instances where some people have tried to abuse the system. For example, they’ve provided something that isn’t a name at all, but rather a political slogan with the aim of having our barista shout it out as they hand off the finished drink. And in some cases, as their ‘name,’ they have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive.
Perkins said despite swift action taken by Kroger and Starbucks, she won’t be back.
“I don’t intend to spend another penny at Starbucks — and as far as I’m concerned, neither will my children or anybody else in my family who will listen to me,” she said.
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