Starbucks Employee Training Requirements

On 18 August 2026 at around 8:00 a.m., I visited the Starbucks at Harbiye Mah. Cumhuriyet Caddesi No:34, Zemin Kat, Dağ Apartmanı, Şişli, İstanbul. Unfortunately, the behaviour of one of the baristas with brown hair left me very disappointed and uncomfortable. At the time of my visit, this employee was working behind the counter, wearing a white top and jeans. I ordered a croissant, but the staff member initially misunderstood my order and thought I had asked for a different pastry. I politely corrected them. After that point, their attitude noticeably changed. They began handling the pastry in an extremely rough manner, almost throwing it around while putting it into and taking it out of the oven. At one point they even dropped it, then picked it up again with an irritated sigh and continued to treat both the pastry and the equipment roughly. When my drink was ready, they did not say a single word to me. I understand that cultural expectations can vary and I do not expect forced friendliness, but the overall attitude was so cold and unpleasant that it stood out. Throughout the entire process, the staff member seemed extremely frustrated. They slammed the oven door, scooped ice so forcefully that it spilled, and continued to handle the pastry aggressively. While pulling the espresso shot, they were banging equipment loudly and using the steam wand in a way that felt unnecessarily harsh and performative, as if to make their annoyance obvious. As an Asian customer, this experience made me repeatedly wonder whether I was being treated this way because of my race. I sincerely hope that this was not the reason, but the behaviour and tone made it difficult not to feel that possibility. I chose this branch because Starbucks is a major global brand that I generally trust and associate with a certain standard of service, so I was genuinely shocked by what I experienced. I am not asking for any compensation. What I would appreciate is a sincere apology from the staff member involved, as I believe it is important that they understand how their behaviour made me feel as a customer. I also request that Starbucks provide appropriate customer service training at this location, especially on treating all customers respectfully and professionally regardless of their background or ethnicity. I would like this situation to be taken seriously, for the staff member to reflect on their conduct, and for appropriate measures to be taken so that other customers do not have to go through a similar experience in the future. If possible, I would also appreciate being informed of the outcome of your investigation.