Starbucks baristas stop writing 'Race Together' on coffee cups

NEW YORK -- Starbucks baristas no longer will write "Race Together" on customers' cups, ending a visible component of the company's diversity and racial inequality campaign that had sparked widespread criticism in the week since it took effect.

The company had planned all along to end the cup messages Sunday and continue the campaign more broadly, Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson said.

The cups were "just the catalyst" for a larger conversation, and Starbucks still will hold forum discussions, co-produce special sections in USA TODAY and put more stores in minority communities as part of the Race Together initiative, according to a company memo from CEO Howard Schultz.

The campaign has been criticized as opportunistic and inappropriate, coming in the wake of racially charged events such as national protests over police killings of black males. Others questioned whether Starbucks workers could spark productive conversations about race while serving drinks.

The phase-out is not a reaction to that pushback, Olson said.

"Nothing is changing. It's all part of the cadence of the timeline we originally planned," he said.

He echoed the company memo, saying of the Race Together initiative, "We're leaning into it hard."

Schultz's note to employees acknowledged the skeptics as an anticipated part of the outreach.

"While there has been criticism of the initiative -- and I know this hasn't been easy for any of you -- let me assure you that we didn't expect universal praise," it read.

He said the campaign at its core aims to make sure "the promise of the American Dream should be available to every person in this country, not just a select few."

But the campaign didn't sit well with some Starbucks customers. Many voiced on social media and elsewhere they didn't want a debate with their brew.

At a Starbucks in Pittsfield Township, Michigan, near Ann Arbor, two customers said Sunday they didn't think a coffee shop was the right place for race-relations dialogue.

Ninette Musili, a junior bio-molecular science major at the University of Michigan, said the campaign seemed to her like an insincere publicity stunt that wasn't executed properly.

Like many who criticized Starbucks, she goes to the shops either before class or later in the day to study. At neither time does she want to discuss race relations.

"Most people come to Starbucks for coffee," said Musili, who is 19 and African-American. "Race is an uncomfortable thing to bring up, especially in a Starbucks."

She said such discussions are important, and Starbucks should have set aside time during the evenings for race discussions and invited people to attend.

Discussions about race are necessary, but getting a message about it on a coffee cup is silly, Stephanie Nelson, 45, said at a Starbucks in Seattle, the chain's home.

"That was pushing it a bit," she said. "The broader discussion is good. Why not use your platform (as a company) for positive?"

AP food industry writer Choi contributed from New York; Krisher from Pittsfield Township, Michigan, and Phuong Le from Seattle.