Starbucks has provided a detailed response to the controversy surrounding the Charlie Kirk drink order after the trend gained significant attention on social media.

For those unfamiliar, the situation began last week (16 September) when a TikTok user shared a video attempting to order the right-wing activist's preferred drink, which is a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys, while requesting his name be written on the cup.

In the now-viral video, the barista is seen explaining that they 'can’t do political names', instead suggesting to write just 'Charlie' on the cup.

However, the customer insisted further, asking: "Why can't you write the whole name?" To which the barista responded 'because it's political'.

The TikTok, which has now gathered over 1.2 million views, quickly inspired many supporters of Kirk - who was tragically shot in the neck by the suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, on 10 September in Utah - to order the same drink with the same name request as a tribute to him.

Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a Utah university earlier this month (10 September) (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

This entire incident has prompted Starbucks to release several statements on the issue, with the company's latest response (released on 17 September) stating: "In light of the online discussion regarding our policy for customer names on orders, we want to clarify and provide some context.

"Starbucks is a company founded on human connection. Using a name, rather than a number, for customer orders has been a central part of the Starbucks experience for decades. Most customers use their own name. And when a customer chooses to use a different name - including the name Charlie Kirk - when ordering their drink in our café, we strive to honor their preference."

Starbucks has been compelled to address the viral social media trend where customers demand 'Charlie Kirk' be written on their cups (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The statement further explained that over time, Starbucks has encountered situations where 'some people have attempted to misuse the system'.

"For instance, they’ve provided something that isn’t a name at all, but rather a political slogan aimed at having our barista call it out as they deliver the drink. In some cases, as their 'name,' they have provided words that are sexually explicit or otherwise offensive," the company added.

Starbucks continued: "We aspire to be a community coffeehouse where everyone feels welcome, so we have previously guided our partners to politely ask customers to use a different name when attempting to use political slogans or phrases instead of their name. We are clarifying with our team now that names, by themselves, can be used by customers on their café order, as they desire.

"We believe handwritten notes on our cups are a meaningful way for our baristas to connect with customers. We have clear policies that prohibit political slogans or negative messages to help maintain a welcoming environment. If we receive a report that a message doesn’t comply with our policy, we carefully review each case. We recognize that neither we nor our customers get it right every time.

"We also understand that the markers we use to write on cups are accessible to anyone. Therefore, notes can be easily added to a cup by others after the drink has been handed off by our baristas."

Starbucks said it aims to 'respect' their customers' 'preference' when it comes to which name they opt for on their order (The Salt Lake Tribune / Contributor / Getty Images)

The company further assured that it has investigated recent social media posts alleging that critical comments were written on Starbucks cups.

"Our investigation, which included a review of timestamped in-store video footage, confirms that in the cases shared so far, the comments were not written by a Starbucks partner. They appear to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else," the statement noted.

"Hundreds of thousands of Starbucks partners in tens of thousands of coffeehouses work hard every day to serve millions of customers who visit us. In millions of interactions each day, our dedicated baristas get it right. However, in any instance where there may be a misunderstanding or where we fall short, we’ll strive to learn what happened and address any issues swiftly."

Starbucks concluded: "We are committed to creating a welcoming space where every customer can enjoy a great cup of coffee served by a friendly barista. We hope our customers visit us with the same positive intent. Thank you for being part of the Starbucks community."

Tyla has reached out to Starbucks for further comment.