Starbucks has issued an apology after a sheriff in California accused baristas at a local location of refusing service to two deputies from his department.
In a video posted to a Riverside County Facebook page, Sheriff Chad Bianco of the Riverside Police Department said that two officers entered a local Starbucks where they were "ignored for a long period of time," which he said they classified as possibly longer than 10 minutes.
"They tried to get served, they asked if anyone was going to help them, they were laughed at, they were completely ignored, obviously ignored, to where other patrons knew they were being ignored," Bianco said.
Bianco said the deputies "handled themselves well and they left."
In a tweet on Friday, Bianco said that Starbucks employees have shown "anti police culture."
The Riverside Police Department also sent out a tweet confirming knowledge of a "cop with no coffee" incident, and said that the office was in contact with Starbucks corporate about it.
Starbucks issued the below statement to Delish in regards to the allegations:
There is simply no excuse for how two Riverside deputies were ignored for nearly 5 minutes at our store on Thursday evening. We are deeply sorry and reached out to apologize directly to them. We take full responsibility for any intentional or unintentional disrespect shown to law enforcement on whom we depend every day to keep our stores and communities safe. No customer, in or out of uniform, should ever have that experience at a Starbucks. The partners (employees) who worked that evening will not be scheduled to work while we investigate and take the appropriate steps.
As many outlets have pointed out, this is the most recent in several allegations from police officers about Starbucks in recent months. Last month, Starbucks fired an employee who was accused of writing the word "PIG" on a police officer's Thanksgiving Day drink order. The chain also held a "Coffee with Cop" event with the Kiefer, OK, Police Department in response.
In July, The Tempe Officers Association in Tempe, AZ, accused Starbucks workers of asking officers to leave a location. Starbucks also issued an apology in regards to those allegations, according to USA Today.
