A customer is seeking answers after alleging that she was served a Starbucks beverage full of metal shavings from an apparent name tag.
In a clip posted to TikTok, user Emily (@its_a_salad) shows a piece of metal, which she claims she found in her Starbucks drink after consuming a significant amount of the beverage. Her drink is green and appears to be a matcha.
“Drank about half before I saw this little beauty,” she writes in the text overlaying the video. “@Starbucks offered me a $35 gift card and their apology as if that’s appropriate for a major food safety issue.”
“How many paint and metal shards do we suppose I consumed?” she continues.
What Happened?
For those wondering what the piece of metal in question was, commenters were quick to note that it appeared to be a metal name tag. Some commenters allege name tags are prone to falling off.
“As a Starbucks barista this is my biggest fear,” wrote a user. “These things slide off so easy.”
“This is why the name tags gotta go, the amount of times they fall off in a single shift,” echoed another. “I’ve been telling them to just get our names embroidered onto our aprons.”
“As a barista pls get a lawyer,” added a third. “They need to change the name tags its ridiculous how often ive seen them end up in someones drink.”
Other commenters said that name tags falling off was so common that employees find themselves bending them so that they stay on. This advice was also echoed on Reddit.
What Should This Starbucks Customer Do?
Eating metal shavings can have pretty severe consequences.
If Emily did not notice metal shavings while consuming the product, there’s a strong chance that they will simply pass through her body without issue. For example, on Reddit, numerous machinists have admitted to accidentally ingesting metal chips without issue. And other discussions of similar problems on the internet advise that the metal shavings will likely pass without a problem.
That said, there’s still a chance that ingesting sharp pieces of metal could cause internal issues, such as scratches or internal bleeding. This is one of the reasons why food manufacturers recall items that are found to contain metal shavings, even if the amount of shavings is small.
If this is a concern for Emily, she should consult her doctor. She may also want to escalate the issue with Starbucks in hopes of getting a better, more lasting resolution. If she was truly injured by the error, she could also pursue legal action. Though, barring a provable injury, this could prove difficult.
@its_a_salad Oops- somebody is missing a name tag at @Starbucks and corporate is missing the mark.
Commenters Are Horrified
Many commenters encouraged Emily to continue to push Starbucks for answers regarding the problem. They also encouraged her to even get the law involved.
“Don’t accept the 25!! go to urgent care / ER immediately n get a lawyer,” said a user.
“THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS??? girl get yourself a lawyer and a mansion,” echoed another.
“It looks like it was in the blender with your drink. please go to the hospital, let the store manager of the location know and maybe get a lawyer,” detailed a third. “this is super concerning, and maybe it’ll even get them to give us name tags that stay on ive seen too many ppl on here with name tags in their drinks.”
BroBible reached out to Starbucks via email and Emily via TikTok direct message and comment.