Annapolis Starbucks Worker Suspended For Printing 'Monkey' On Black Customer's Cup

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Annapolis Starbucks employee was recently suspended after printing "Monkey" as the name on the cup of a Black customer, WJLA reported. The worker printed the name label on Nov. 19 at a Starbucks in the Westfield Annapolis mall.

The TV station reported the suspension last Thursday, but it did not identify the accused worker.

Impeccable Brands, the licensee that runs that Starbucks location, apologized to the customer for the "regrettable incident" and said "the label was made in error."

The customer, Monique Pugh, shared her thoughts on the apology with WJLA.

"That it was bogus. And the fact that they keep saying it was an honest mistake...so now it's an honest mistake and a labeling error?" Pugh asked. "If you didn't hear my name, you should have said, 'excuse me can you repeat yourself?' Not once did she do that. She labeled me what she wanted to label me."

FOX DC asked Starbucks about the racial slur and was told the company is taking steps to ensure offensive words cannot be printed on future order labels.

"We want everyone in our stores – including both Starbucks operated and those operated by our licensees – to treat each other with dignity and respect," the coffee chain said in a statement to FOX. "We do not tolerate behavior that is disrespectful or makes a customer feel unwelcome. We are aware of the incident that took place at a store operated by our licensee Impeccable Brands in Annapolis, MD, and we are working closely with their leadership team as they quickly conduct the investigation with their employee(s) and take any necessary action as a result."

Read the full story on WJLA to see Pugh's description of the encounter and the coffee shop's complete response.