An Ohio woman was left shocked after a Starbucks barista wrote a hateful message on her cup, which was meant to honour the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Autumn Perkins ordered a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys—Kirk’s favourite drink—from a Starbucks inside a Kroger in Middletown, Ohio. Instead of the usual name, the cup read: “racist’s fave drink.”
Perkins shared her experience on Facebook, expressing her disappointment. “The girl at Starbucks thought she was cute. I don’t even support Starbucks bc of everything they stand for starting with their satanic logo, but I support Charlie Kirk so I thought you know what… I’ll get his drink,” she wrote. She added that she prefers to support local Christian-owned coffee shops.
Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. His death has sparked intense debate about free speech. After speaking with the store manager, Perkins learned that the employee admitted to writing the message and was subsequently fired. Perkins stated, “I would agree that people should be fired if they’re doing something like this.”
Starbucks condemned the incident, saying in a statement: “Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment.” The company noted that the location is licensed and operated by Kroger, which confirmed the employee’s termination. Kroger stated, “This behavior does not reflect Kroger’s values.”
Perkins said she does not plan to spend another penny at Starbucks. “I don’t intend to spend another penny at Starbucks – and as far as I’m concerned, neither will my children or anybody else in my family who will listen to me,” she said. The incident follows a separate case in California where a Starbucks employee refused to write Kirk’s name on a cup, prompting the company to clarify that there are no restrictions on using his name.
