Starbucks employee fired for ‘unacceptable’ drawing on cup as bizarre excuse is given

A Starbucks employee has been fired following an 'unacceptable' drawing on a cup, as a bizarre excuse was given.

Now, many fans of the popular coffeehouse chain will no doubt be familiar with the personalised touch baristas often give to customers beyond simply writing their name on their latte or Frappuccino.

From a mere smiley face to a 'have a nice day', such scribbles are, most of the time, very welcome.

However, one barista appeared to take things too far after drawing a pig on a cup, referencing a viral 'John Pork' meme which literally shows a man with a human body and a pig head named, you guessed it, John Pork.

Now, this barista in question drew the meme on a cup before handing it over to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy last week, the office has claimed.

A Starbucks employee was fired after drawing a 'John Pork' meme on a police officer's coffee cup (James Leynse / Getty Images)

The alleged incident reportedly occurred in a Norwalk location on Friday (9 January).

The sheriff’s department later posted a picture of the cup on social media, saying that the pig 'is commonly used to demean law enforcement' and claimed that the drawing was 'extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable'.

According to the deputy, Brandon Longoria, he went to Starbucks during his 16-hour shift to get coffee 'after a long day'.

"It felt discouraging and disrespectful, especially after a long day of serving the community. All I wanted was caffeine, but instead I left feeling uneasy," the deputy wrote on an Instagram post, KTLA reports.

The coffeehouse chain has since confirmed that the employee in question has been fired following the ordeal (KTLA)

A Starbucks statement has called the ordeal 'unacceptable' but claimed it was not meant to be offensive.

Jaci Anderson, Starbucks' director of global communications, said that the cup was not intended for the deputy.

She explained that the barista had been doodling on cups earlier in the day to cheer up coworkers, and that a 'series of unfortunate events' led to the cup being handed to the deputy.

"This was unacceptable. We have reached out to the customer several times and leaders in the Sheriff’s Department to apologise. We have a deep appreciation for law enforcement who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe. We immediately launched an investigation and are taking swift action," a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the LA Sheriff's Department said in a statement to The Independent: "This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable. The deputy quickly reported the incident to the store manager, who advised that the matter would be investigated.

"In addition, the Sheriff spoke directly with the deputy to check on his well-being, convey his full support, and make it clear that disrespectful actions will not be tolerated against our personnel.

"Our deputies serve this community with professionalism, dedication, and commitment, often under difficult and dangerous circumstances.

"Our deputies are part of the community and deserve to be treated respectfully and with basic human dignity. Acts that promote hostility and division toward law enforcement undermine community trust and public safety."

Tyla has contacted Starbucks and the LA Sheriff's Department for further comment.