A Muslim man wearing traditional Middle Eastern garb told a barista at a Starbucks in Philadelphia that his name was "Aziz" - but when he went to collect his order, he found the word "ISIS" written on the cups instead.
The man, Philadelphia resident Niquel Johnson (40), told NBC News that he was dressed in a "throbe" - an ankle-length garment with long sleeves - when he ordered three drinks, for himself and two friends. When asked for his name, Johnson said he gave his Muslim name, "Aziz."
"Abdul Aziz is the name I normally go by; it means servant of the Almighty," he said. "But I shortened it for them. 'Aziz' alone means mighty."
Johnson admitted to NBC that he did not notice the writing until approximately 20 minutes later.
"I was shocked at first, and then angry because I felt as though we were discriminated against," he claimed, adding, "You'd think they'd be a bit more sensitive and the [racial bias] training would be better."
Starbucks clarified to NBC News that the barista had misspelled Johnson's name by mistake, and that it is not believed to have been a discriminatory incident.
"The customer approached and provided the name 'Aziz,'" an NBC spokesman clarified, adding that the incident had been investigated. "The barista mistakenly spelled it incorrectly. We have connected with Mr Johnson and apologized for this regrettable mistake."
For his part, Johnson, who is a regular customer at the store, said that he received an email from the company apologizing and expressing concern, less than an hour after filing the complaint.
Starbucks initially believed the incident was resolved, since someone claiming to be a niece of Johnson's had contacted them to complain, providing details of the incident and saying there was no need to speak to Johnson himself, a spokesperson told NBC. However, Johnson denied that his nieces had contacted Starbucks.
Johnson is now considering legal action, wreg.com noted.