PHILADELPHIA (RNN) – Starbucks has apologized and launched an investigation after a Philadelphia barista allegedly mocked a customer who has lived with a stutter almost his entire life.
When Sam, a 28-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate student, and his friend Tan Lekwijit visited a Philadelphia Starbucks on June 27, Sam stuttered while giving his name to the barista, according to a Facebook post by Lekwijit.
"Okay, S-S-S-Sam," the barista allegedly replied, mocking the 28-year-old.
In addition, when Sam received his coffee, Lekwijit said he and his friend were shocked to see the name on the cup was written "SSSAM."
Sam has had a stutter since age 6, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"It's rare, as an adult, that that kind of disrespect happens," he said. "It happens, but it's really rare to see it in print."
After the alleged incident, Sam emailed Starbucks customer service, who replied with an apology for the way they wrote his name and an offer of $5, according to Lekwijit.
"Clearly, Starbucks missed the point. It was about how you treat people with speech impairments, not how you write names," Lekwijit wrote.
Sam told the Inquirer he felt the company's offer was "kind of insulting."
"I also thought they didn't take my issue seriously. It was as if they give $5 to anyone who complains about anything. I sort of got a generic email, and I didn't feel like I was heard," he said.
Lekwijit said he first posted about the incident on Starbucks' Facebook page but claims it was deleted. He said he told the story again on his personal page because he wanted to raise awareness about speech disorders.
"Getting this kind of treatment from people, especially service employees, only scars them [people with speech disorders] – and I beg Starbucks employees to have this in mind," Lekwijit wrote.
Starbucks replied to Lekwijit's post, saying they would address the issue immediately.
"Our local leadership has reached out to Sam to better understand what took place and the specifics of his experience and apologize directly. We have zero tolerance for discrimination," Starbucks wrote.
Starbucks regional vice president Camille Hymes called Sam Monday afternoon, according to the Inquirer. He said he believes her apology over the incident was sincere.
The company has also launched an investigation into the incident, Hymes told WCAU.
Sam said he won't let what happened affect his opinion of Starbucks, and he plans to keep buying coffee at their stores.
"I don't want to generalize one person's behavior," he told the Inquirer. "I’m not going to impugn an entire organization because of one person."
However, Lekwijit told the Inquirer that he feels Starbucks’ recent sensitivity training should have also covered people with speech disabilities, so that no one else like Sam is mocked.
Starbucks closed more than 8,000 stores in the United States the afternoon of May 29 for "racial-bias education geared toward preventing discrimination."
The closure came in response to an incident at a different Philadelphia Starbucks location in April. Two black men, who were waiting for a colleague in the store, were arrested.
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