Starbucks says baristas should honor requests to use Charlie Kirk’s name on cups after petition

Starbucks has issued a statement clarifying its policy on customer names after a petition circulated online asking the company to honor Charlie Kirk by adding his favorite tea to menus.

The coffee giant said customers may use Kirk’s name when ordering drinks in its cafés but stressed that political slogans and offensive words are prohibited.

Why a viral TikTok forced Starbucks to clarify its cup policy

The backstory:

The company’s clarification came after a TikTok video went viral on Tuesday showing a Starbucks customer ordering Kirk’s favorite Mint Majesty tea and asking that his name be written on the cup. The barista refused, citing a corporate policy against political messages, and instead offered to write "Charlie."

That moment reflected a wider tension baristas say they’ve faced for years. Eight Starbucks employees told Business Insider that, before the latest guidance, they felt caught between corporate policy, the risk of social media infamy, and their own personal beliefs when customers asked for politically loaded names.

A Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider that customers are free to use alternate names, including political figures, but that baristas are not allowed to write other political slogans or pop culture references on cups.

Starbucks clarifies name policy

What they're saying:

"For decades, having a name attached to a customer order has been a core part of the Starbucks coffeehouse experience," the company said in a Sept. 17 statement. "When a customer wants to use a different name — including the name Charlie Kirk — when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference."

Starbucks said some customers in the past have tried to use political slogans instead of names, sometimes with the intent of forcing baristas to say them out loud. In those cases, employees are instructed to ask the customer to use a different name.

The company emphasized that individual names — including Kirk’s — are permitted.

What we know

The company said its priority is to keep cafés welcoming and respectful while allowing customers to personalize their orders with names.

• A Change.org petition launched Sept. 14 urged Starbucks to honor Kirk with a menu item called "The Charlie Kirk" or "Kirk Special."
• Kirk’s preferred order — a mint majesty tea with two honeys — circulated online after his assassination, along with old clips of him explaining the drink.
• Starbucks said it investigated recent viral posts showing alleged offensive messages on cups and found they were not written by its employees.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear whether Starbucks will directly acknowledge the petition or consider creating a named menu item in Kirk’s honor.