(Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cWe can\u2019t do political names, but it [the register] didn\u2019t even ask for a name to begin with so it\u2019s going to be $3.75,\u201d the barista responds with a smile. <\/p>\n
The woman then fires back, asking: \u201cWell, can\u2019t you write the name on the cup?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI could write \u2018Charlie?\u2019\u201d the barista replies, with the woman questioning why she can\u2019t write the full name. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s political,\u201d the worker explains, before the woman tells her to \u201cforget it. I don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe barista walked over to my husband and handed him the drinks instead of using the name \u2018Charlie,\u2019\u201d the woman added in the post\u2019s caption. \u201cShe is the one who brought up \u2018politics\u2019 if she would have said \u2018okay\u2019 then written the name, no politics would have been mentioned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starbucks has since released a statement in regard to the social media uproar about their supposed policy \u2014 throwing the barista who wouldn\u2019t write Kirk\u2019s name under the bus in the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no restrictions on customers using Charlie Kirk\u2019s name on their order, and we are following up with our team,\u201d the company said Tuesday. <\/p>\n
The chain followed up the next day with a lengthier statement, which read: \u201cStarbucks is a company built on human connection. Having a name, rather than a number, attached to a customer order has been a core part of the Starbucks coffeehouse experience for decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost customers use their own name. And when a customer wants to use a different name \u2014 including the name Charlie Kirk \u2014 when ordering their drink in our caf\u00e9, we aim to respect their preference,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, we have had instances where some people have tried to abuse the system. For example, they\u2019ve provided something that isn\u2019t 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 \u2018name,\u2019 they have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aim to be a community coffeehouse where everyone feels welcome, so we have previously provided guidance to our partners to respectfully ask the customer to use a different name when attempting to use political slogans or phrases in place of their name. We are clarifying with our team now that names, on their own, can be used by customers on their caf\u00e9 order, as they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Independent<\/em> has contacted Starbucks and the TikTok creator for additional comment. <\/p>\nKirk\u2019s alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah, has been officially charged with aggravated murder and six other counts, including obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Utah prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Robinson.<\/p>\n
Officials say Robinson was radicalized online and subscribed to a \u201cleftist\u201d ideology, and that he had had enough of Kirk\u2019s hatred, according to text messages he is claimed to have sent to his roommate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Starbucks has issued a statement clarifying its company policy after an employee \u201crefused\u201d a customer\u2019s request to write Charlie Kirk\u2019s name on their cup. The murder of 31-year-old Kirk, a right-wing political activist, on September 10 has further polarized an already divided nation and sparked fierce debate about free speech across the country. In a now-viral TikTok video, a woman claimed that \u201cStarbucks refused to write or say Charlie Kirk\u2019s name. I never went in talking about politics, just mentioned his name to have it written on my cup to honor him.\u201d The clip shows the woman entering a California-based location of the popular coffee chain to order a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys \u2014\u00a0Kirk\u2019s preferred Starbucks drink. When asked for a name for the order, the woman tells the barista, \u201cThe name is Charlie Kirk.\u201d Charlie Kirk supporters have started using his name on their Starbucks orders, sparking a debate about the coffee chain\u2019s policy (Getty) \u201cWe can\u2019t do political names, but it [the register] didn\u2019t even ask f…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6174"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}