Florida man upset over message left on Starbucks cup

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. --A Florida man received more than he bargained for after ordering a coffee at a Starbucks in St. Augustine, and he is not happy, CBS affiliate WJAX reported.

It wasn't what was inside the cup that upset this Starbucks customer, it was what was written on the coffee cup label: "DIABETES HERE I COME."

The customer tells WJAX he had ordered a grande cup of white mocha at Starbucks. A 16-ounce white chocolate mocha has 470 calories when it's made with 2-percent milk.

A photo of the message on the cup was shared with WJAX on Facebook. And what was written on the label hurt the customer on a personal level, who told WJAX his two sisters suffer from Type 1 diabetes.

"That first word just automatically brought the picture of both sisters in my head, and I was taken aback," said the Starbucks customer, who did not wish to be identified.

This customer told WJAX he works near the coffee shop and a fellow employee picked up coffees for their staff. His cup had the unusual message.

And it hit close to home.

"Just the struggles they went through and all the doctor appointments they had," said the customer of his sisters.

WJAX approached the store manager, Kent Miller, and showed him pictures of the cup. When asked if this was something Starbucks condones, he said: "No, we definitely don't condone, but let me find more about this, and I will talk to my boss."

Miller said the only thing that should be written on the label is the drink type and the name of the customer.

WJAX sent an email and called Starbucks corporate headquarters for a comment, and they responded with: "We strive to provide an inclusive and positive experience for our customers, and we're disappointed to learn of this incident. We are working directly with the customer to apologize for his experience, and with our partners (employees) to ensure this does not happen again."

The customer wrote a note on that same cup and returned it to the baristas in hopes employees won't judge other people in the future. The note reads, "2 of my sisters are diabetic, so ... not funny."

"Seeing and knowing the struggle my sisters went through by third, fourth grade, it definitely struck a nerve, and I didn't just want to let it go," said the customer.

The customer said he doesn't need an apology. Instead, he just wants reassurance that this won't happen to anyone else.

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• Starbucks
• Florida