TikToker sparked a viral discussion of the Starbucks custom order trend that spread through social media. Laschnella (@laschnell) said in her video that her chain of popular coffees has been effectively “stealing” drink ideas from creators over the years and adding them to its menu. She even suggested that she sees a racial component to Starbucks’ preferential selectivity when it comes to which custom her drinks are “respected.”
Her trending video is a stitched clip from another creator @bdtrelilbrother. In the video he asked:
Laschnella has pieced together the answers to his questions into a video in the form of a story. She explained that she worked at Starbucks during the “secret she’s menu heyday.”
“In case you didn’t know, the Secret Menu is a popular Starbucks menu and it wasn’t official, but it was an honor,” she said. “Once they brought me the ingredients, I knew what I wanted, so that was an honor.”
“But the problem with the secret menu was that many of those drinks were actually stolen from Asian creators who create like really pretty drinks overall,” she continued. One of the drinks claimed to have been “stolen” is the Pink Drink. Officially added to the Starbucks menu in 2017 after becoming popular on social media.
“So when these kinds of drinks became popular, Starbucks quickly stole them. “Now these menu items that these black people came up with, no, they don’t. They don’t respect that.”
@ Rashnell #stitch @bdtrelilbrother and I could be wrong but it’s an observation #food #foodreviews #Keithley #Starbucks ♬ Original sound – Laschnella
“[Is] Is it demographic control or am I racy? Laschnella asked with a text overlay.
In the comments section, Laschnella suggested that companies limit item customization because “if the customer doesn’t want it, the mess isn’t considered worth it.”
“Many Starbucks secret menus and TikTok drinks can take a long time to make,” wrote one user.
“People need to understand that these ridiculous trends take up more time than fast food and restaurant workers do.
Some say that not understanding the nomenclature of viral items can ruin your work when you’re simply trying to keep the line moving.
I don’t mind creating a secret menu .. what’s in it .. some people just say the name of the drink and they know what it is and what’s in it, ”said one viewer. commented.
Other users pointed out that baristas and other fast food employees may not like making trendy items.
“As a Starbucks barista, it’s annoying to say something you don’t know what it is, no matter what name they give it.
“Cold foam has choked these girls out now. You know they add $1.25 to a $6 drink,” said another user.
“I [never] A friend of mine complained to the barista about the price, who said many were going to get a refund if they didn’t like their customized drink,” another person added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Starbucks via email, and Laschnella asked for more information in a TikTok comment.
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*First published: February 12, 2023 at 9:23 AM CST
Jack Alban
Jack Alban is a freelance journalist for the Daily Dot covering trending human interest/social media stories and how real people react to them. He’s always trying to incorporate evidence-based research, current events, and facts related to these stories to create not-so-average viral posts.
