Traditional emotional labor asks a worker to smile. Starbucks' Green Apron Service, rolled out nationally in August 2025, asks something more layered. According to CX Dive, the program's operating standards include five key customer service moments: warmly greeting customers, offering glassware or a mug, crafting beverages with a message on the cup, making connections during handoff, and keeping cafes welcoming and clean.

The cup-writing requirement has drawn particular scrutiny. Several supervisors have said that writing on the cup is part of the "Five Key Moments" and that baristas can be disciplined or let go for missing any of these steps, according to The Takeout. A 2025 Business Insider investigation found that "a serious infraction of the rules, like a profane message or repeatedly forgetting to mark a customer's cup, can lead to termination."

I thought they just wrote or misspelled your name on the cup? Now they have to write a phrase or they're fired? Who wants this?