You'll Never Believe What Starbucks Just Banned Its Baristas From Wearing

Though company allows its servers to wear piercings and have tattoos, this piece of jewelry is now forbidden

By Jenna Mullins Nov 04, 2014 11:39 PMTags
Starbucks, BaristaSeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Apparently Starbucks is really concerned with diamonds falling into coffee cups, thus creating a choking hazard and also the jumping off point for a Friends fan fiction:

Rachel is just getting comfortable on the big couch in Central Perk when Gunther swoops down to deliver her drink order. She thanks him and takes a healthy swig of her cappuccino when suddenly she starts sputtering while gesturing wildly at her throat. Ross hits her hard on the back, and a shiny object flies out of her mouth and across the room, hitting Joey in the middle of the forehead…

Wow, we really could have kept going with that, but we'll stop so we can tell you what in the hell we are talking about.

Starbucks just released a new dress code for employees, and there is one certain forbidden accessory that is really pissing baristas off. The company now has a rule against their employees wearing engagement rings that contain precious gems to work. Wedding bands are fine, but engagement rings with stones are big no-no's.

According to the reasoning in the guidelines, that kind of jewelry is a "food safety" concern.

"Wearing a ring is okay if it's a plain band, no stones," it says on the infographic. "Unfortunately, no watches, bracelets or wristbands are allowed. Simple necklaces can be worn under your clothes."

You are really killing your baristas accessorizing game, Starbucks! Also worth mentioning is that the company does allow piercings, though they urge that "less is more."

And employees of the coffee company don't buy the "food safety" reasoning one bit, especially since it could be seen as targeting female employees. Usually taking off your engagement ring before work is a suspicious move on your part, but what about when your company makes you do it?

Now customers on Twitter are talking about boycotting Starbucks over the engagement ring rule:

While you guys debate on this new addition to the Starbucks dress code, we're going to get back to our Friends fan fiction…

 Chandler picks a diamond off the floor and realizes that's what just came out of Rachel's mouth. "See, Rach? This is what happens when you eat the coal that Santa puts in your stockings!" he quips. [Uproarious laugh track]