Author: Mei Ling Tan

Starbucks has found itself in the middle of a public relations disaster in the United States after an incident in one of its Philadelphia stores last week that saw two African American men arrested went viral.

Starbucks chief executive Kevin Johnston has issued a statement unreservedly apologising to the men, who were handcuffed by half a dozen police officers in an outlet last Thursday following a dispute with a store manager.

The men, who were waiting for a friend, were asked to leave after using the bathroom without making a purchase but refused, at which time the manager called 991, local police said.

A video of the arrest was shared millions of times on social media over the weekend, sparking calls to boycott the coffee chain and protests outside of its stores.

In a public statement Johnstone said the incident led to a “reprehensible outcome” and that he would be personally overseeing a review of Starbuck’s training processes.

“We have immediately begun a thorough investigation of our practices. In addition to our own review, we will work with outside experts and community leaders to understand and adopt best practices,” he said.

“The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values.

“Regretfully, our practices and training led to a bad outcome—the basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong,” Johnston continued.

Johnstone has offered to meet the two men in person to offer a face-to-face apology.

Philadephia mayor Jim Kenney said the incident exemplified an example of racial discrimination, adding that he has referred the matter to the Philadelphia commission on human relations.

“I am heartbroken to see Philadelphia in the headlines for an incident that — at least based on what we know at this point — appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018,” he said in a statement.

Starbucks Uruguay has opened its first cafe, located in the capital city Montevideo.

The Seattle-headquartered coffee giant appointed Alsea International as its local partner, a leading restaurant operator in Latin America and Spain, whose brand portfolio already includes Domino’s Pizza, Burger King, Chili’s, California Pizza Kitchen, PF Chang’s, Italianni’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Archie’s and Foster’s Hollywood. It has 3300 stores in total in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Spain, including 900 Starbucks outlets in include Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.

The debut Starbucks Uruguay store is located in the Montevideo Shopping mall. Starbucks says the store’s design honors Montevideo city and its culture. Exposed concrete columns and ceilings bring character and texture to the store. Custom leather details  – a material with great local relevance – are designed to evoke a warm ambience. The cafe has a green living wall with local plants to connect the store to the origins and environment of a coffee farm.

One of the most striking features of the store is a mural painted by Nicolas Alfalfa, a local artist. Alfalfa was able to illustrate the Siren, the iconic symbol of the Starbucks brand, over a concrete finish, extending across the back wall of the store and which can be observed from any point within the space.

“Our first store in the beautiful country of Uruguay marks a key milestone for our expansion in Latin America,” said Ricardo Rico, Starbucks GM and VP for Latin America.

Federico Tejado, director of Alsea International, said at least five Starbucks Uruguay stores would be opened this year and 10 by 2020.

“We are proud to present a one-of-a-kind store that will make all our partners and customers in Uruguay feel proud,” said Pablo Jaratz, GM of Starbucks Uruguay. “Our passionate and knowledgeable baristas have spent many months training with some of our best Starbucks baristas, coffee masters and experienced partners only for this day.”