Starbucks has fired an employee who wrote "PIG" on a police officer's cup on Thanksgiving day.
The officer went to his local Starbucks in Kiefer, OK, to purchase some hot beverages to thank the force's emergency dispatchers for all they do, including working on a holiday. When he picked up a cup of hot chocolate in his order, the officer was shocked when he found the word "PIG" written on the label, according to Kiefer Chief of Police Johnny O'Mara, who wrote about the incident in a Facebook post.
"This is what he gets for being nice," O'Mara wrote in the now-viral Facebook post, which since appears to have been deleted.
"What irks me is the absolute and total disrespect for a police officer who, instead of being home with family and enjoying a meal and a football game, is patrolling his little town," O'Mara added.
Starbucks announced that it has terminated the employee responsible for the label and the coffee chain reached out to both O'Mara, as well as the officer who placed the Thanksgiving Day order, to apologize for behavior which it deemed "absolutely unacceptable."
"This language is offensive to all law enforcement and is not representative of the deep appreciation we have for police officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe," it said in a statement.
In the coming days, Starbucks will host a "Coffee with Cop" event with the Kiefer Police Department, where baristas and law enforcement can "discuss the critical role dispatchers and police offers play in keeping our communities safe."
Such programming may soon appear in other communities with Starbucks locations across the country.
"Together with law enforcement agencies, Starbucks will jointly look for educational opportunities for our partners across the United States to promote better understanding and respect," the coffee chain said.
