Kayla Hart walked into her local Dilworth, North Carolina, Starbucks to get a cup of one her favorites drinks, a venti green iced tea. What Hart said she received instead was a demeaning slur by a barista because she was proudly wearing a Donald Trump T-shirt.
The North Carolina Starbucks barista did not follow the common practice of writing the customer’s name on the label for the cup but instead deemed Kayla Hart “BUILD A WALL.” According to the Dilworth woman, the Starbucks cashier laughed in her face when handing her the drink over the counter.
Kayla Hart’s shirt said, “Trump for President 2016.”
“I don’t know what politics has to do with getting a cup of coffee. I just walked out because everyone was staring,” Kayla Hart said when telling reporters at Fox 46 News what happened to her at the Dilworth Starbucks . “I just found it really sad that I can’t wear a t-shirt with our president without being made fun of.”
Almost immediately after the upsetting incident, the North Carolina woman emailed Starbucks customer service to inform them about the treatment she felt was both rude and bullying in nature.
“We have spoken with our store partners about this situation and are using this as a coaching opportunity for the future,” the Starbucks statement read.
Kayla Hart walked into Starbucks for iced tea and got a political message on her to go cup Boycott starbucks again! pic.twitter.com/RpZuJ7MHqx
— TRUMP MOVEMENT (@TRUMPMOVEMENTUS) June 16, 2017
Starbucks is treating the “build a wall” label placed on the cup of iced tea as a teachable moment. The statement from the company also apologized for the actions of the Dilworth barista. Starbucks admitted to failing to meet the customer’s expectations during the visit to the North Carolina store.
Company officials went on to state they are working directly with the barista who wrote the reference to President Donald Trump on the drink purchased by Kayla Hart, the Daily Mail reports.
Starbucks customer says she was bullied for supporting Trump https://t.co/nPzjvvJ6sJ ((Thank you, Kayla Hart))
— Clint Goodrich (@Clint_Goodrich) June 15, 2017
Hart is not attempting to spark a Starbucks boycott but said she feels strongly that other Americans need to be made aware of the inappropriate behavior. The young woman believes no one should be humiliated for simply wearing a shirt that expresses their personal opinion on it.
The Dilworth resident also said she will wait to hear back personally from the Starbucks district manager before deciding whether she personally will ever go into the store again.
[Featured Image by Natee Meepian/Shutterstock ]
