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A mother has sparked a debate after sharing her method of ensuring her daughter always gets a treat at Starbucks.
Lauryn Clare took to Instagram Reels to share a video of her daughter, Adeline, eating a cup of whipped cream from the coffee chain. “Parent hack. If you can’t afford Starbucks for two, order your child a pup cup. It’s free and will make them just as happy as a $5 cake pop,” text across the screen read.
“And then she came to the window and said ‘and we have to ask, what is your furry friend’s name?’ And I said ‘Addie!’” the two-year-old’s mother wrote in the caption.
A pup cup, a Starbucks secret menu item typically meant for dogs, is an espresso cup filled with whipped cream. The chain has also called the menu item a “puppuccino.”
“I don’t normally make a Starbucks run, just because it’s expensive, but I had $4 and change left on a gift card,” she later explained in an interview with Today.
According to Clare, when she came up with the idea to order her daughter a pup cup, she was going through the drive-thru and her daughter had just woken up from a nap.
“I knew Addie was going to want something. So I asked: ‘Do you guys charge for ‘pup cups?’’ And the woman taking my order was like: ‘Oh, my God, no. What’s your dog’s name?’”
Clare said she did go on to ask if it could be allowed to use the pup cup for her daughter, to which she said the barista agreed.
However, after posting the Reel, people began to criticize Clare’s tactic.
“Why give a toddler Starbucks to begin with,” one commenter questioned with a second writing: “Wait, y’all buy your kids something every time you get a coffee? ‘Mommy’s coffee’ is just that… adult privileges lol.”
In response to the comments, Clare further explained her thought process. “Also. I can afford a cake pop people. But if she’s happy AF with a cup of whipped cream? For free? Helloooooo,” she added to her post.
She added in a separate comment: “Moms in the comments get it. If you don’t, just kindly go away. My kids get everything they want all the damn time and my two-year-old daughter doesn’t need to understand my finances.”
The story prompted other parents to reveal they’ve also relied on the same menu hack with their own children.
“Yep I call it a kid cup! Sometimes I get cookie crumbs or ask for chocolate chips on top! If you get a nice worker they will!” a fellow parent wrote.
“I did this with my niece and then eventually she put her foot down and was like ‘I want the pink drink.’ I even then told the lady water and strawberries and nope she knew what she wanted. I could no longer gaslight her,” another parent recalled of their own experience with a pup cup.
The company itself even weighed in on the debate.
“We love seeing the different ways our customers brighten loved ones’ days with Starbucks,” a spokesperson for Starbucks told Today. “Customers can order a side of whipped cream with the purchase of a beverage at no extra charge.”
