Scam alert, coffee lovers! Just because your delivery arrives in a Starbucks cup doesn't mean Starbucks made your drink.
For all you know, that familiar green logo could be wrapping around a mystery liquid brewed in someone's rented apartment. Extra foam, anyone?
In Mianyang, Sichuan, authorities uncovered an operation allegedly doing exactly that. A man surnamed Kong claimed to be providing delivery service, buying drinks from legitimate Starbucks stores through delivery platforms. Instead, he was making the drinks himself in a rented residential room and passing them off as the real thing.
The operation racked up 729 orders and pocketed more than ¥40,000. Investigators reportedly found Starbucks-branded cups, bags, straws and syrup at the site, alongside some seriously questionable preparation conditions. Kong also lacked the required business and food-related licences.
Starbucks China said it had cooperated with the investigation and reminded consumers to order through official stores or Starbucks' own delivery channels.
According to footage provided by law enforcement, the cleaning rags had turned grey, powdered ingredients were left unsealed, leftover extracted coffee was neither used nor discarded, and the milk-frothing steam wand was visibly caked with milk residue.
Lovely. We're paying Starbucks prices for a brand we trust to maintain proper hygiene and beverage standards, only to end up with a cup of mystery black liquid brewed in who-knows-what conditions. Bon appétit, buddies!
So, the lesson? That green mermaid on your cup isn't exactly a certificate of authenticity. If you want the real deal, stick to official channels.
And I'm not just talking about Starbucks. Be careful about where you buy anything you're going to put in your mouth. You really don't want your next meal or drink to become the next WTF story on our SmartLaowai post.
But now there's a question in my mind that makes this whole case even more unsettling: Where the hell did he get those cups?
Were they fake, or were genuine Starbucks cups being reused?
What do you think?
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