M'sian barista fired for calling tourist 'bodoh (stupid)'

Frustration with a foreign customer has cost a Malaysian Starbucks barista her job, after she was caught insulting them on video in an incident that has gone viral in Malaysia.

Under her breath

TikToker @eddie.lee575 shared a video of two people speaking in Mandarin and English, trying to communicate with a Starbucks barista in order to buy some drinks.

According to Says.com and Starbucks Malaysia’s social media, the incident occurred at the KLIA 2 Landside Starbucks store and involved a pair of tourists.

They spoke limited English and appeared to be relying on an AI App to help translate for them as they attempted to buy a promotional drink that was not available.

The video, which appears to have been removed from the original poster’s account but remains available on other social media platforms, showed the pair midway through the transaction.

The tourist points to a promotional menu on the counter, trying to order items on it, but the barista explains curtly that the items only become available on Oct. 7, almost two weeks after the interaction was made public.

She can then be heard muttering “bodoh”, the Malay word for stupid, under her breath.

Dismissed

The video has gone viral in Malaysia and has led to much criticism, and Starbucks Malaysia has responded by dismissing the barista.

On Sep. 22, the company’s social media accounts posted a message captioned “At Starbucks, respect is non-negotiable.”

The message said that it was aware of the incident, and that it “deeply regret(s) that the behaviour displayed by the barista involved does not reflect the values we uphold at Starbucks”.

It said that the company was "committed to creating a welcoming environment for all customers, regardless of their background, nationality, or the language that they speak”.

It then revealed that it had conducted an internal review and had dismissed the employee a day earlier on Sep. 21.

Starbucks said that it was “reinforcing” its training programs to ensure employees understood the importance of cultural sensitivity, respectful communication, and standards of customer service.

It then apologised to the customer and the public, and said it would “take all necessary steps” to ensure that it did not happen again.

Starbucks Malaysia has undergone a testing time in recent years, having faced a boycott due to its perceived relationship with Starbucks franchises in controversial countries.

In 2024, the founder of its parent company appealed to Malaysians to end the boycott, saying that the company had no investment from Starbucks America and that such boycotts only affected the livelihood of other Malaysians.

Top image from @eddie.lee575/TikTok via Reddit