Starbucks Malaysia hasn’t had the best press in recent months, given the ongoing boycott. The coffee chain recently faced another unfortunate incident involving its staff and a foreign customer.
Recently, a video went viral on social media depicting a customer at a Starbucks outlet at KLIA2. The customer is reportedly from China, with a limited understanding of English. In the video, the female Starbucks barista was growing noticeably frustrated with the customer who kept trying to place an order for an item that was not yet available. The barista then allegedly muttered “bodoh (stupid)” under her breath.
Following the incident, Starbucks Malaysia issued a statement via social media, revealing that they have dismissed the employee, effective 21st September 2025 (Monday). The company also mentioned reinforcing training programs to ensure the staff understand the importance of cultural sensitivity and respectful communication, and adhere to its standard of customer service.
Starbucks Malaysia also apologised to the customer involved and to the public for the incident. The coffee chain also said it’s taking steps to ensure a similar incident won’t happen again. Online, the reactions were mixed. Some sided with the customer, slamming the barista’s rude behaviour. However, others sympathised with the staff, noting that it can be frustrating to work in the service industry and deal with unruly customers.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Starbucks outlet at KLIA2 has gone viral for an interaction with a customer. In March 2024, a video went viral depicting a Chinese national berating a Malaysian staff member for not understanding his order in Mandarin. However, in this previous case, the customer was the one who received backlash, with many locals slamming him for being entitled in a foreign country.
In related news, Starbucks Malaysia has been facing many closures recently due to the ongoing boycott. Do you think this incident will affect their sales? Here’s a clip of the interaction:
@cerita_apa01 Starbucks Cafe Klia 2,memohon maaf atas sikap seorang Barista yang mengeluarkan kata kata yang tidak sopan ketika melayani seorang pelanggan. #starbucks #klia2 #maaf
Sources: New Straits Times, Instagram
