Starbucks clarifies policy after viral Charlie Kirk ‘loser’ cup incident: 'We aim to respect preferences'

NORWOOD PARK, ILLINOIS: A Starbucks coffee run sparked a social media storm this week after a cup appeared to have the word “Loser” written on it. The drink contained conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s favorite Mint Majesty tea with two honeys, as per The Daily Beast.

The post was shared by Jacqueline Garretson, Illinois state director of The Conservative Caucus on X (formerly Twitter), who said the cup belonged to her mother-in-law. The clip went viral, drawing complaints and prompting a temporary closure of the Norwood Park Starbucks.

Viral Cup controversy sparks online outrage

The controversy started on Tuesday, September 16, when Jacqueline Garretson, who says she is the Illinois state director of The Conservative Caucus on X (formerly Twitter) and previously worked for Thomas DeVore, shared a photo of a Starbucks cup.

Her mother-in-law had ordered a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys, and the cup appeared to have the word “Loser” written on it, causing online chaos.

It’s worth remembering that a video of Kirk describing his go-to Starbucks order confirmed it as Mint Majesty tea with two honey packets. Even though Garretson didn’t directly inform the police, things escalated quickly. 

Garretson encouraged followers to call Starbucks and report the incident. She later posted two videos of herself and an unidentified man confronting workers at the Norwood Park Starbucks.

In one video, the man said, “I’m talking 5 p.m. today, I want some form of action to the employee that represents this business that wrote ‘Loser’ on my mother’s cup.”

To a Starbucks employee, he added, “We’re looking for not corporate bureaucracy. I want immediate accountability; and if not, I will have this whole intersection lined with patriots today, I’m not even joking.”

The videos went viral, reaching more than 40,000 likes on X. Garretson later returned to the Starbucks and found it temporarily closed.

She posted, “Thank you to everybody that called, stopped in to order Charlie’s drink and put in complaints with corporate. Over the past 24 hours we have SHUT THEM DOWN.”

Starbucks' response to Charlie Kirk drink controversy and temporary shutdown

The beverage company confirmed via email to Block Club Chicago that the Norwood Park store was closed for part of Wednesday, September 17, and reopened the following day.

The company also confirmed that the note was not written by an employee.

“The note appears ‘to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else,’” the spokesperson said.

On September 16, Starbucks released a statement clarifying its policy regarding customer names on orders:

“In response to online discussion about our policy for customer names on orders, we wanted to provide the facts and share some background. Starbucks 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. Most customers use their own name. And when a customer wants to use a different name—including the name Charlie Kirk—when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference.”

The company added, “Over the years, we have had instances where some people have tried to abuse the system. For example, they’ve provided something that isn’t 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 ‘name,’ they have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive.”

Starbucks made it clear it does not support political conflicts in its stores, “We have clear policies that prohibit political slogans or negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. In the event we receive a report that a message doesn’t comply with our policy, we carefully review each case. We know that neither we, nor our customers, get it right every time," said Starbucks.

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