Starbucks MY 'actively investigating' after barista calls customer 'babi'

Starbucks Malaysia is "actively investigating" after a customer took to Facebook to share an unpleasant experience she had at the cafe where a barista wrote her name down as 'babi'.

The customer, Bavitra Ramachandran, took to Facebook this week to share an image of her Starbucks drink which she got from Sunway Velocity Mall. Where baristas typically jot down the name of a customer, they had instead written the word 'babi' which translates to pig and is an offensive term in Malay.

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In her Facebook post on May 15, Ramachandran threatened to sue the coffee chain and lamented that "no human name" could possibly have been mistaken for 'babi'. 

When MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out to Starbucks regarding the matter, it noted it was aware that "one of [its] customers might have felt uncomfortable during her recent visit."

"At Starbucks, we strive to create a culture of warmth and belonging, and we believe in being an inclusive brand that provides a welcoming experience to every one of our customers," it said. 

"We always aim to provide a positive and consistent experience to every customer who visit our stores, and we are actively investigating the matter," it continued. 

The incident is certainly a surprising one considering that Starbucks has notably been active in its attempts to be diverse. 

Just last December, the cafe opened its first Signing Store dedicated to the deaf, hard of hearing, and sign language communities in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Deaf baristas will wear green aprons with the company’s name embroidered in sign language. Employees who can use Bisindo sign language will wear an “I Sign” pin. Customers also will be able to order beverages and food using a writing tablet.

The store also offers a community area for members of the Deaf community to support and conduct programmes from Gerkatin (Gerakan untuk Kesejahteraan Tunarungu Indonesia) and Pusbisindo (Pusat Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia). Starbucks has partnered with the two organisations to support sign language education for the broader community. To encourage a culture of human connections through the celebration of deaf culture and sign language, the store will also host sign language lessons and coffee workshops in sign language.

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