A Starbucks barista in Philadelphia mocked a customer's speech impediment and called him 'Ssssam' on his cup. Photo / Getty
A Starbucks barista in Philadelphia mocked a customer's speech impediment and called him 'Ssssam' on his cup. Photo / Getty
Another Philadelphia Starbucks is in hot water after a young man with a speech impediment claimed a barista mocked his stutter by writing extra letters before his name on a coffee cup.
Sam, who did not wish to disclose his full name to the public, claimed the hurtful incident happened last Wednesday at the coffee chain shop located at 3401 Walnut Street.
It seems Sam's friend, Tan Lekwijit, initially posted a complaint to Starbucks' official Facebook page after he learned what happened, but the company allegedly deleted the post.
Lekwijit then took to his own personal Facebook page to share details about the incident, along with photo proof of the cup.
In the picture post, Sam's grande iced coffee receipt order is shown, along with his name which was spelled: "SSSam"
Lekwijit explained of the "disrespectful" interaction that the barista even went so far as to reply to his friend: "Okay, S-s-s-sam," after he ordered at the counter.
A Philadelphia man claimed a barista in Philadelphia mocked his speech impediment by writing extra letters before his name on a coffee cup after he ordered last week. Photo / Facebook
"He wrote an email to Starbucks Customer Service and got a pretty standardised email saying they were sorry that he 'felt disrespectful' for the way they wrote his name and offered him $5.
"Clearly, Starbucks missed the point. It was about how you treat people with speech impairments, not how you write names.I am writing this not because I want to get anybody into trouble, but because I want to raise awareness among the employees," Lekwijit said further.
"There are many people with speech disorders who are in a worse position than my friend's and struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence.
"Getting this kind of treatment from people, especially service employees, only scars them—and I beg Starbucks employees to have this in mind."
While the coffee chain allegedly deleted Lekwijit's initial complaint on their Facebook page, the company replied in the comment section of his post.
Starbucks said: "Hi, Tan. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We want our stores to serve as a welcoming place for everyone who visits and want to ensure our partners provide a positive experience.
"Our local leadership has reached out to Sam to better understand what took place and the specifics of his experience and apologise directly. We have zero tolerance for discrimination and are addressing this immediately."
The shocking incident comes just three months after the top American coffee chain sparked nationwide outrage when two black men were arrested at another Philadelphia Starbucks.
A store manager phoned 911 after the men entered the shop and attempted to use the restroom without making a purchase.
The incident seemingly prompted the resignation of Executive Chairman Howard Schultz last month.
Days prior to his leave announcement, Schultz ordered the closure of 8,000 stores for anti-racism training as a result of the March incident.
