'What do you call a sick eagle?': Texas woman accuses Starbucks of making 'offensive' joke, keeps cup as proof

Blanca Lopez, a Hispanic woman living in Irving, Texas said she has been subjected to an insensitive joke by the barista of a Starbucks store. The incident took place Monday when Lopez visited the Starbucks inside a Target story in Irving with two daughters. She ordered a horchata latte but there was a handwritten message on the lid of her cup.

"What do you call a sick eagle?"

"Illegal".

This was the joke. "And when I read it, I'm like, OK. Was I supposed to laugh or what do I need to do," Lopez told CBS News. Starbucks generally write the customers' name on the cup, but this joke was written on the lid of the cup and Lopez felt particularly targeted.

"Why did they call me that? Why are they asking if I have papers or no papers? Why did she write this?" Lopez said.
"For me, like, it's offensive."

Lopez said she immediately showed the cup to a manager of the store who apologized for the joke. Lopez said she kept the cup with her as proof and still waiting for a formal response from Starbucks. "It's basically saying that we are sick, illegal individuals that do not belong in this country," she said.

Starbucks told CBS News Texas that it is investigating the incident and has a zero-tolerance policy for any discriminatory behavior. "We want everyone in our stores to be treated with courtesy and respect; we apologize and are actively investigating and addressing this."

Lopez said she wants more than a vague apology. "I work as a manager. If someone on my team did something like that, I would fire her immediately," she said.

Dallas-based community leader Carlos Quintanilla organized a protest at the store after the incident. The protest was scheduled on June 28, but it was called off as no one showed up.