A Starbucks employee was fired after writing a critical message on a drink order for an admirer of slain right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
The message came to light when Ohio resident Autumn Perkins shared a photo on Facebook of a drink she’d ordered from a Starbucks inside a Kroger in Middletown, coincidentally the hometown of Vice President JD Vance.
After Perkins ordered Kirk’s favored beverage, which has since been popularized by his supporters — a “Mint Majesty” tea with two honeys — the barista wrote “racists fav drink” on Perkins’ cup.
Getty Images/Facebook (Autumn Perkins)
“The girl at Starbucks thought she was cute,” Perkins wrote in the Sep. 21 post alongside a photo of the message on her drink. “I don’t even support Starbucks [because] of everything they stand for starting with their satanic logo, but I support Charlie Kirk so I thought you know what…I’ll get his drink.” (The Starbucks logo features a mermaid.)
Perkins continued: “Thank you Starbucks for proving to me exactly why I prefer to support my small local Christian owned and operated coffee shop. Well done [applause emoji].”
Kirk was fatally shot while speaking with students at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. In the aftermath of his death, the Trump administration and others have attempted to silence critics of Kirk’s bigoted, racist, xenophobic and misogynistic remarks.
In a statement to HuffPost, a Starbucks spokesperson said, “Writing this on a cup is unacceptable. We have policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment.”
The spokesperson added that the unidentified employee has been terminated by Kroger. The Starbucks location is operated and licensed by Kroger.
Perkins couldn’t be reached for comment.
Kirk supporters have petitioned Starbucks to honor him by adding his go-to drink order to menus nationwide. The campaign, called “Get Charlie Kirk’s Starbucks Order On Every Starbucks Menu,” kicked off on Change.org on Sept. 14.
Nearly a week after Kirk’s death, Starbucks said in a press release that it has “clear policies that prohibit political slogans or negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment.”
The coffee chain also noted that a customer is entitled to “use a different name — including the name Charlie Kirk” if they desire when placing an order.