The coffee chain apologized for the incident with Sheriff's agents
Starbucks has about 8,000 own coffee shops in the United States.
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Dan R. Krauss / Getty Images
Starbucks apologized to two Riverside County Sheriff's agents in California and promised an internal investigation after Sheriff's complaints that coffee retailer employees refused to serve peacekeepers, reports LA Times.
The alleged mistreatment of sheriffs occurred Thursday night at a coffee chain stand near UC Riverside. The officers, who wore uniforms, stayed at the counter for approximately five minutes without being served and finally decided to leave, according to Starbucks statements and social media posts by Sheriff Chad Bianco.
"There is simply no excuse for how two Riverside deputies were ignored for almost 5 minutes in our store on Thursday night," a Starbucks spokesman said in a statement. "We assume full responsibility for any lack of intentional or unintentional respect shown to the police on whom we depend every day to keep our stores and communities safe."
The Riverside incident marks the third time this year that Starbucks has been accused of disrespecting law enforcement. In July, six officers in Tempe, Arizona, said a barista asked them to stay away from a client who had complained that his presence was making him nervous. Starbucks apologized to the officers.
In November, a police chief in Oklahoma complained after a Starbucks employee labeled cups for several officers with the word "PIG." Starbucks again apologized and fired the employee.
Bianco referred to the previous incidents on Friday, writing on Twitter: "The anti-police culture repeatedly shown by Starbucks employees must end."
Several users suggested that it was turning a common place in modern American life, the Starbucks line, into an episode of injustice against police officers.
