An Ohio woman ordered Charlie Kirk’s signature drink from Starbucks on Sunday evening—named in honor of the activist—and was surprised to find a “negative” message written on the cup.
Autumn Perkins of Middletown, Ohio, visited a Starbucks inside a Kroger complex to order a Mint Majesty tea with two spoons of honey. When she received her drink, she was shocked to see that an employee had written with a marker “the racist’s favorite drink” on the side of the cup.
“It’s time for people to stop with this nonsense,” Perkins told Fox News Digital, as reported by the New York Post.
After speaking with the manager, Perkins learned that the employee admitted to writing the offensive message about Charlie Kirk and was fired.
“I agree that people should be fired if they do things like this,” she said, adding that “actions have consequences.”
“I believe Charlie was a symbol of respect—we don’t have to agree on everything. We can disagree on many things but still respect each other. We can’t communicate and grow if we don’t respect one another,” she continued.
A Starbucks spokesperson confirmed the incident: “Writing this message on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies prohibiting negative messages to help maintain a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this employee has been terminated by Kroger.”
Kroger confirmed the disciplinary measure in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday. “This behavior does not reflect Kroger’s values,” a company representative stated.
Autumn Perkins added that she often visited Starbucks on her trips because it was “easily accessible,” but said she will no longer buy anything there: “I don’t intend to spend another penny at Starbucks—and as far as I’m concerned, neither will my kids or anyone else in my family.”