Starbucks customer claims barista wrote ‘Hippo' on cup instead of her name
LONDON - A Starbucks customer in West London was left steaming after an employee allegedly wrote “Hippo” on her cup instead of her name.
Nadia Khan, 25, claims she gave her name to the barista for her Cookies & Cream Frappuccino order, but instead the cup she received said something much more offensive.
“When I got my drink, I noticed ‘Hippo’ but I dismissed it as really bad writing,” Khan said to the Mirror.
Though the woman tried to brush it off, she told the publication her mother “went absolutely ballistic” and confronted the employee about the inappropriate comment.
Khan, who agrees the fake name was “grotesquely unprofessional,” said a representative for Starbucks reached out to her directly to apologize for the incident, which reportedly took place last Monday.
In a statement to Fox News, Starbucks confirmed a member had contacted Khan to apologize.
“We have a longstanding tradition of connecting with our customers by writing their names on our cups," the statement said. "This incident is not indicative of the welcoming environment we aim to provide in our stores, and have apologized to the customer directly. We are working closely with the store team to ensure it doesn’t happen again."