Family claims Starbucks served blood-tainted drink
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A Southern California family is suing a local Starbucks, claiming blood ended up in one of their drinks, CBS Los Angeles reports. Amanda Vice ordered a frappuccino at a Starbucks in San Bernardino back in 2016, and her daughter Payton, who always had a sweet tooth, took a few sips. "She was licking the whipped cream where it had -- was sitting on top," said Vice.
What Vice didn't realize until she looked closely is that there was more than chocolate and whipped cream in the drink. There was blood on and in their cup.
"It was on the inside of the rim of my frappuccino," she said.
Vice said that after she contacted the Starbucks, they confirmed that a barista had been bleeding and they agreed to have her stop making drinks. They also offered her family free drinks for a week, she said.
"I thought it was sort of belittling," she said.
Vice said she was worried about her health and that of her daughter. She didn't know if drinking the blood could get them sick.
"I thought maybe I'd be a little bit more at peace if they would ... have her tested -- the one who was bleeding," Vice said.
But she said the store didn't agree to testing the employee, so she turned to an attorney. He said filing a lawsuit two years later is their last resort.
"The intention was always to try and resolve this with Starbucks, and had they acted in a responsible way, we wouldn't be here today," said Stan Pekler.
Starbucks wouldn't answer specific questions about the case. They provided a statement saying, "We are aware of this claim that allegedly took place in 2016, and are prepared to present our case in court."
Vice is hoping the company will make changes so something like this never happens again. In the meantime, she is careful about what she orders wherever she goes.
"We're constantly double checking everything we get, because now I just don't trust, I don't trust anybody," she said.