Starbucks employee writes 'fat' on 11-year-old girl's cup
Starbucks baristas are known for writing people's names wrong on cups, but sometimes inappropriate scribblings on the coffee giant's drinks spark massive controversy. Last year, employees were under fire for writing "diabetes here I come" on cups ... and now, a similar affront has occurred.
11-year-old Teigahn Sangster was at Starbucks in Edinburgh -- her first time going without her parents. After she ordered a small caramel frappucino, she discovered what the baristas wrote on the cup:
Credit: Mercury Press
In lieu of her name, "fat" (or maybe "fato") was written on the cup. "I felt really shocked when I saw what was written," Sangster told Metro UK. "I felt really embarrassed, upset and angry by it."
"I'd been excited to go as it was the first time we'd gone on our own and felt really grown up," she continued, "but after seeing what was written I just wanted to go home -– it really spoiled it for me."
Sangster's mother, Dionne, was livid about the insult. I was furious when I heard what had happened – especially on her first trip alone," she told Metro UK. "She phoned me from the café to tell me what had happened and I told her to bring the cup home."
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"She told me 'it doesn't matter mum, I am fat,'" she continued. "It was really upsetting to hear – it made her feel so little and knocked her confidence, I think it's terrible."
According to Cosmopolitan UK, Starbucks is investigating the incident. They released a statement to the publication:
"We were concerned to learn of this as it is not indicative of the friendly service we provide in our stores. We are very sorry for the upset this has caused the family. Following our investigation, we want to reassure that our store team did not write this intentionally. It was originally crossed through and the circle is an indication that the partner (employee) did not capture the name correctly. We have contacted the family directly to explain and apologize."
