Starbucks Responds to Viral Charlie Kirk Drink Order Controversy

Starbucks has issued a statement regarding names on cups as Charlie Kirk supporters continue to order drinks with the late right-wing political commentator’s name written on them.

A video shared on TikTok on Sept. 16, which has since amassed almost a million views, showed a customer walking into a Starbucks in Yucaipa, California, and attempting to order a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys — which Kirk had previously stated was his go-to order.

The TikTok user who posted the clip tried to get the barista to write Kirk’s name on the cup, but she declined, stating they “can’t do political names,” but could “write Charlie.” 

“Why can’t you write the whole name?” the customer then asked.

“Because it’s political,” the barista replied.

On Tuesday, Starbucks addressed “conversations on social media” in a short statement, insisting, “There are no restrictions on customers using Charlie Kirk’s name on their order, and we are following up with our team.”

They then shared a longer statement the following day in response to “online discussion about our policy for customer names on orders.” The statement said that “when a customer wants to use a different name [to their own] — including the name Charlie Kirk — when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference.”

The coffee chain continued, “Starbucks is a company built on human connection. Having a name, rather than a number, attached to a customer order has been a core part of the Starbucks coffeehouse experience for decades. Most customers use their own name.”

“Over the years, we have had instances where some people have tried to abuse the system,” the statement added. “For example, they’ve provided something that isn’t a name at all, but rather a political slogan with the aim of having our barista shout it out as they hand off the finished drink. And in some cases, as their ‘name,’ they have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive.”

“We aim to be a community coffeehouse where everyone feels welcome, so we have previously provided guidance to our partners to respectfully ask the customer to use a different name when attempting to use political slogans or phrases in place of their name,” Starbucks continued. “We are clarifying with our team now that names, on their own, can be used by customers on their café order, as they wish.”

The company said it believes “handwritten notes on our cups are a meaningful way for our baristas to connect with customers,” adding that they have “clear policies that prohibit political slogans or negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment.” 

It also pointed out that markers are accessible to everyone, so “notes can be easily added to a cup by others after the drink has been handed off by our baristas.”

Multiple online videos highlighted positive messages left on cups when ordering Kirk’s favorite drink, while others suggested that baristas wrote critical messages in response to their request, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

Starbucks said in the statement, “We’ve reviewed recent social media posts alleging that critical comments were written on Starbucks cups. Our investigation, which included a review of timestamped in-store video footage, confirms that in the cases shared so far, the comments were not written by a Starbucks partner. They appear to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else.”

The chain concluded the statement by insisting that if employees “don’t meet the mark,” or if there is a “misunderstanding” on any occasion, they’ll “work to learn what happened and address any issues quickly.”

“We are committed to creating a welcoming space where every customer can enjoy a great cup of coffee served by a friendly barista. And we hope our customers visit us with the same positive intent. Thank you for being a part of the Starbucks community,” the message read.

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Kirk, 31 — who was fatally shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 — previously revealed his Starbucks order while speaking at an event.

In a video shared by his non-profit organization, Turning Point USA, on Facebook in July, Kirk said that he orders “Mint Majesty tea with two honeys” from Starbucks, adding it’s “because I lose my voice very easily,” so he would drink like “nine of them a day.”

Starbucks did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.