New York Starbucks worker out of a job after freakout video goes viral

NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- A New York Starbucks employee fired over a viral video of her berating a customer said she quit after being suspended by the coffee chain.

Ruby Chen, a customer at a Starbucks location in New York's Queens borough, shared a video of the encounter on YouTube, which was originally recorded and posted to Facebook Thursday by fellow customer Pennapa Castro with the title, "too much attitude at Starbucks."

Chen said she ordered a Frappuccino with a cookie straw and she did not hear her name being called while she was getting her phone out to pay via the Starbucks app.

Another employee, whose name was given only as Melissa, shouted "Hello!" at her, moved the payment scanner away from her and accused her of trying to steal the cookie straw in her hand.

Other customers come to Chen's defense in the video, leading Melissa to shout "bye bye" and tell them to "get the [expletive] out of here."

Chen said Starbucks contacted her and said Melissa, a shift leader, was no longer with the company. Starbucks offered Chen a $100 gift card for her trouble.

Melissa, 25, who did not want her last name used, told WPIX-TV she was suspended and subsequently quit her position at Starbucks. She said she was not fired, as previously reported. Melissa said the customer was abusive to her and she received no support from the district manager. She said she worked for the company for five years.

The store's manager, who said the company would not allow him to identify himself, defended the former employee.

"We do our very best to hire good people with good hearts who care about our customers," he said. "This is a good person who did a bad thing."