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SCMP’s Asia desk

Malaysia’s largest coffee chain has thrown its support behind a barista involved in a viral confrontation with a customer, saying it has launched a full investigation and will stand by the employee while reviewing the incident.
Zus Coffee confirmed on Monday that it had begun an internal investigation after a 14-second video of the altercation, believed to have taken place on Sunday at one of its outlets, drew millions of views on TikTok and sparked intense online debate.
In the video, a female barista is seen waving her hand and repeatedly telling a customer in Chinese to “get out”.
The customer, who remains off-camera, replies angrily: “Why should I leave? I’m spending money here!”

@iml3x7
马来西亚咖啡厅，客人说咖啡做的慢，胖娘们儿伸中指对着客人f u@c@k 客人回头讲道理，她赶客人出去
♬ 原声 - MI

She then empties the contents of her coffee on the counter and throws the cup towards the barista and her colleague. The barista is seen picking up the cup and throwing it back.
The incident has triggered an outpouring of support online for the barista, with many social media users criticising the customer’s behaviour and applauding the worker’s composure under pressure.
Zus Coffee, in a statement posted to social media on Monday, appeared to side with the employee.
“Since the incident occurred, we have taken the necessary steps to conduct a thorough investigation and we are standing with our Zurista through this time,” the company said, using its in-house term for baristas.
“Working in retail isn’t always easy, and things should never have escalated the way they did. At the end of the day, we’re all only humans doing our best.”

The chain also confirmed that the staffer was “recovering from [the] incident”.
Responding to speculation in the comments section beneath its post, the company clarified that the barista had not been terminated.
The confrontation reportedly stemmed from a dispute over service speed, with the video caption alleging that the customer was dissatisfied with waiting times and that the barista had raised her middle finger – a claim not confirmed in the footage.
The exact outlet where the incident occurred has not been disclosed.
The original TikTok post by user iml3x7 has garnered more than 2.4 million views and over 6,000 comments, with the majority expressing sympathy for the employee and frustration at what they viewed as unreasonable customer conduct.
Founded in 2019, Zus Coffee has expanded with remarkable speed. By early 2024, it had become Malaysia’s largest coffee chain by outlet count, boasting around 743 stores compared with about 320 for Starbucks.
The company has previously earned praise for its quick public responses to customer service issues. As of Tuesday, it had not confirmed whether any disciplinary action would be taken or if a police report had been filed.


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Malaysia’s Zus Coffee backs barista after viral clash with angry customer

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A video showing the irate customer throwing a cup at the barista – who tosses it back – has drawn over 2 million views


A video showing the irate customer throwing a cup at the barista – who tosses it back – has drawn over 2 million views.


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Malaysia’s Zus Coffee backs barista after viral clash with angry customer

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A video showing the irate customer throwing a cup at the barista – who tosses it back – has drawn over 2 million views

A video showing the irate customer throwing a cup at the barista – who tosses it back – has drawn over 2 million views