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Monique Pugh, who has frequented Starbucks for two decades, said that she visited the coffee shop in the Westfield Annapolis Mall, but when she picked up her venti Caramel Frappuccino, it wasn’t her name that was affixed to the label.
Instead of “Monique,” the receipt on the side of her cup read “Monkey,” which she believes was racially motivated, to which an employee flippantly responded, calling it a mistake while shrugging off the incident, according to TODAY.
Pugh reportedly received no apology from any employees at the time of the incident, though Starbucks offered to apologize directly to Pugh and to provide a sit-down with the store's licensee and update its employee training, according to The Root. The retail giant also said it is “taking steps to ensure incidents like these don't happen again."
A general manager at the store also reportedly made things worse when leaving a voicemail for Pugh and mispronouncing her name. She was only offered a free drink and sandwich for her troubles, which she said she declined.
“And to have them apologize, but then say it was an honest mistake and a labeling error? How was that a labeling error?" she said while speaking out to TODAY. "I was the only Black person in the store. And I bring it to your attention and your first thought is to argue with me?”
In a letter obtained by ABC7, an Impeccable Brands - the licensee in charge of this particular Starbucks - spokesperson apologized, claiming that an employee mistakenly labeled the cup.
"I understand the hurt and frustration this has caused you. We can do better. As an immediate step, I have taken action with the employee and have addressed their behavior with them directly,” Amit Sehgal reportedly wrote.
“I feel confident that we will do better and offer the warm and welcoming experience that you and all other customers expect from any of our locations in the future.”
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