Recently, a netizen posted on social media about an incident in which they left their handbag behind while taking photos at a %Arabica store in a shopping mall. According to their account, the bag was found by other customers and handed to the staff for temporary safekeeping at the bar counter, but two hours later it was disposed of as trash by the employee on duty. Because the person could not provide proof of purchase or proof of the item's value, the store refused to review the surveillance footage and refused compensation. After the incident came to light, netizens engaged in heated discussion over whether lost items found by passersby should be kept by the coffee shop and whether the staff's handling was appropriate. Front Street Coffee will also continue to follow issues of property safety in such consumer settings. [more…]

Recently, a coffee shop owner ran into a frustrating situation: after a customer accidentally broke a handmade wood-fired pot in the shop, the customer not only refused to pay for it but also tried to quietly drive away. The owner offered a discounted compensation plan of a few hundred yuan, but the customer accused the shop of extortion. The incident sparked heated discussion online: should coffee shops use expensive vessels? How much responsibility should consumers bear for unintentional damage? This article sorts out the course of events, the views of all parties, and explores reasonable ways to resolve similar disputes. [more…]

A trademark dispute spanning China and Thailand is continuing to escalate. Thailand's Royal 50R Group has filed a lawsuit with the court, demanding that China's Luckin Coffee pay 10 billion Thai baht in economic damages, on the grounds that Thailand's Luckin has legally registered the local trademark, while China Luckin's infringement accusations have hindered its business plans. China's Luckin had previously issued a statement saying that the Thailand stores were counterfeits, but on December 1 the Thai court ruled against China's Luckin. At present, China's Luckin has responded that the situation remains to be verified. This article will sort out the full picture of the incident, analyze the ins and outs of this trademark dispute, and follow up on subsequent developments. [more…]

Recently, a cat café in Guangzhou experienced an incident where a customer was bitten by a cat in the store. After seeking medical treatment, the customer demanded more than three thousand yuan from the business for medical expenses and emotional distress, but the owner refused. The business claimed that the risks had been clearly stated in the group-buy package and in-store notices, and that the customer, being an adult, should not hold the store fully responsible; the customer side argued that the business had failed to fulfill its safety obligations. Both sides stuck to their own accounts, and the negotiation reached a deadlock. The incident has attracted widespread attention: when someone is scratched or bitten by a pet in a cat café, how exactly should liability be divided? As coffee lovers, when enjoying the pleasure of petting cats and drinking coffee, how can we protect our own safety? Front Street Coffee reminds you that choosing a legitimate cat café and understanding the relevant guidelines is the best way to enjoy your time interacting with cats. [more…]

Recently, a consumer posted a video on social media claiming to have found black thread in a black garlic and meat floss sandwich biscuit purchased from Sexy Tea, sparking widespread attention. The video shows black threads resembling sewing thread mixed into the biscuit's filling layer, connecting the broken pieces together. After the poster reported the issue to customer service, the brand required the problematic biscuit to be mailed back before compensation would be provided—a solution that drew opposition from many netizens who worried about the loss of evidence. Previously, other consumers had reported finding foreign objects such as hair, insects, and even screws in Sexy Tea snacks, with after-sales handling mostly involving mailing back the product in exchange for gift packages or coupons, rarely providing financial compensation as required by regulations. As the incident continues to escalate, discussions about the reasonableness of merchants demanding the return of evidence and the protection of consumer rights are intensifying. [more…]

Recently, a customer found a screw sunk at the bottom of an Iced Orange Americano purchased at a Manner store, and the incident quickly spread on social media. According to Manner employees, the screw was suspected to have come from the ice guard plate of the store's ice machine, possibly falling into the ice storage bin because it was not tightened during assembly, and eventually ending up in the drink. After the incident, the brand required all stores to check the screws on their ice machines and report with photos, while the employee involved may face dismissal and a heavy fine. Online opinion was divided over whether the consumer should complain and seek compensation: some sympathized with the worker and suggested settling privately, while others insisted that mistakes must be held accountable and that the consumer's rights protection is reasonable and lawful. As of press time, the compensation plan remains unclear, but the incident has already triggered widespread discussion about equipment management and employee responsibility at coffee shops. [more…]

Drinking coffee in a café is supposed to be a relaxing and pleasant affair, but if you accidentally damage a display piece in the shop, it can trigger a headache-inducing compensation dispute. Recently, a customer in a café accidentally broke the lid of a Yixing clay teapot priced at 3,980 yuan, and ultimately compensated 926.5 yuan, half of the wholesale price. After the incident came to light, netizens engaged in a heated discussion over whether the compensation amount was reasonable and whether the shop should present purchase receipts. Why is it so hard to find a matching lid for a handmade Yixing clay teapot? How should responsibility be divided between the customer and the shop? This article will walk you through the incident and the various viewpoints, and explore how fragile utensils should be displayed and used in coffee spaces. [more…]

Recently, the new-style tea beverage brand ChaBaiDao has frequently made headlines due to "large foreign objects" appearing in its drinks. From "real spider milk tea" to nail clippers, and now the latest cockroach incident, consumer complaints have been continuous. These incidents coincide with ChaBaiDao's plan to go public in Hong Kong, sparking discussions about its food safety management and whether there are malicious claims. This article reviews the detailed process of the ChaBaiDao cockroach complaint, analyzes the disagreement between the consumer's claim of 1,000 yuan and the merchant's offer of only 200 yuan, and explores the potential issues of insufficient employee training and "loophole attacks" under the Food Safety Law amid the rapid expansion of chain brands. At the same time, we will also focus on the current state of food safety in the industry and provide professional information for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

When a cup of fortified Purple Grape Jelly drink was almost finished, a large insect was found wrapped in the pearl toppings—an experience that left the consumer both nauseated and frightened. Even more surprising, during compensation negotiations with the ChaPanda merchant, although the other party eventually verbally agreed to pay 1,000 yuan, they required the consumer to sign an agreement and delete related posts and comments. The consumer believed this move was an attempt to portray them as a malicious claimant and refused to sign. Both sides stuck to their own accounts, and the local food and drug administration has also intervened and summoned the parties. How will this food safety dispute ultimately end? What obstacles did the consumer encounter on the path to defending their rights? This article sorts out the entire process of the incident for you. [more…]

A cup of takeaway coffee sparked a dispute over ten thousand yuan in compensation, landing a coffee shop in an agonizing predicament. The customer claimed that after opening the coffee, it spilled onto a laptop, causing the screen to go black, and demanded ten thousand yuan in compensation from the shop, while leaving negative reviews on major platforms. After reviewing its own surveillance footage, the shop confirmed that there were no issues with the packaging or sealing of the order, and the photos provided by the customer also showed that the inside of the takeaway bag was perfectly clean. Who should be held responsible in this dispute? How should businesses respond to such complaints? This article will recount the sequence of events, present the perspectives of the shop, the customer, and netizens, and explore how businesses in the service industry can reasonably protect their own rights and interests. [more…]

Seesaw, once hailed as one of the representative specialty coffee brands in China, has recently suffered a series of setbacks. Its last store in Chengdu was evicted after the shopping mall terminated the lease early; employees exposed illegal dismissals and successfully defended their rights through legal channels; and the founder was once again subject to high-consumption restrictions due to contract disputes, while the company's equity was frozen and debts were enforced through the courts. A stream of negative news has plunged this coffee brand, once favored by capital, into its darkest hour. This article will sort through the sequence of events and present the operational and legal difficulties Seesaw currently faces. [more…]

Recently, a Nayuki store in Linping District, Hangzhou, was exposed after a consumer allegedly found a thumbnail-sized blue-black stone in a drink, and when the consumer sought compensation, the store manager instead accused them of extortion and fraud. After the customer called the police and reviewed the mall’s surveillance footage, the video fully recorded the entire process of picking up the order, drinking it, and spitting out the stone, but the store did not provide surveillance of the production process. Nayuki’s official customer service refused media interviews, and the phone service at the store involved was suspended. The incident has drawn attention to food safety and the protection of consumer rights by catering brands. [more…]

Besides ensuring food safety, what other unexpected risks might be lurking in coffee shops? Recently, a man in Changsha hit his head on a low-hanging crystal chandelier as he stood up in a MAAN COFFEE, bleeding on the spot and requiring medical treatment, which sparked a compensation dispute. The shop first promised to go through insurance but then reneged, offering only 1,000 yuan in compensation. After negotiation, the amount was finally raised to 2,000 yuan, along with a promise to make rectifications. A lawyer pointed out that the store bears liability for installing the chandelier in a non-compliant manner, while the consumer also bears partial responsibility for failing to exercise due safety precautions. This article recounts the incident and analyzes the relevant legal liabilities. [more…]

Recently, an illustrator publicly accused the new Chinese-style coffee brand Jueke Coffee of unauthorized use of their artwork, involving three illustrations including "Watermelon and Lotus," and plans to file a lawsuit. Jueke Coffee responded that the packaging design is original, there is no infringement, and refused to apologize or pay compensation. Both sides hold their own views, and the incident has sparked widespread attention. This article reviews the course of the incident, the positions of both parties, and netizen reactions, and includes relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Recently, a Mixue Bingcheng store in Shenyang made trending news after a dispute broke out between a staff member and a customer. According to a report by Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, a woman ordered three drinks in advance but was delayed by more than ten minutes after going to the wrong store. When she arrived, she was unable to get the drinks that had already been made, and then got into an argument with a male employee, who even made harsh remarks such as "Eat it if you want, if not, get out." After the incident video was exposed, it sparked widespread discussion among netizens. Some criticized the employee's poor service attitude, while others pointed out that freshly made iced drinks have their own reasonable preparation requirements, but more people believed that the responsibility of both sides needed to be judged based on the full sequence of events. At present, the employee involved has been fired by the store and has compensated the customer. [more…]

A woman surnamed Zhang used the excuse of finding hair in takeaway milk tea to file ten compensation claims against multiple outlets of the same milk tea chain within just over a month, using the same photo six times, and collected more than 15,000 yuan in total. The merchants initially chose to compromise to protect the brand image, but as similar complaints appeared frequently, the brand's loss prevention department launched an investigation and called the police. Police arrested the woman on her eleventh complaint, and the court ultimately sentenced her to one year and three months in prison, suspended for one year and six months, and a fine of 5,000 yuan for extortion. The case exposes the phenomenon of some consumers abusing the tenfold compensation clause of the Food Safety Law to file malicious claims, and also sounds a warning bell for the catering industry in handling similar disputes. [more…]

Recently, a Fuzhou branch of the chain tea brand Bao Zhu Gong became embroiled in a public opinion storm over an ordinary customer complaint dispute. A consumer claimed that after their milk green tea was made incorrectly, they received a refund and coupon compensation, but then got into an argument with the store over the usage rules. Subsequently, comments appeared that seemed to be from an employee leaking information, claiming that management fired all store staff because of the customer complaint, and even dredging up an old issue where a student employee had previously been fined 1,000 yuan. The incident quickly escalated, with tens of thousands of comments forcing the original post to be deleted. At noon today, an account claiming to be the owner of the store involved issued a statement, saying that the online rumors were all false and that the person involved had gone to the police station to give a statement and file a report. What is the truth? Front Street Coffee takes you through the full picture of the incident. [more…]

A cup of milk tea labeled as made five days ago has pushed the new-style tea brand Molly Tea White into the eye of public opinion. After placing an order on a delivery platform, a consumer unexpectedly received a cup of drink that had long gone bad. At first, the store admitted it was caused by a backlog of delivery orders and failure to clean up in time, but afterward the brand stepped in to clarify, saying the drink had actually been abandoned by a customer in a public area of the mall, and that management authority belonged to the mall rather than the store. The incident went through multiple reversals—who exactly is responsible? And how should the blind spots in the food delivery chain be filled? This article sorts through the entire course of the incident and appends Front Street Coffee's observations on food safety management in the industry. [more…]

Recently, a consumer reported on the Paper complaint platform that a greenish foreign object was found at the bottom of a cup of a beverage purchased at a Luckin Coffee store in Haikou, which the store confirmed to be a component of the direct drinking water outlet. The consumer demanded 1,000 yuan in compensation in accordance with the Food Safety Law, while the store offered five free cups of coffee, and the two sides failed to reach an agreement. The incident sparked discussions among netizens about Luckin's sincerity in handling the matter and food safety. Luckin's official customer service responded that it attaches great importance to the matter and will assign dedicated staff to handle it, but did not give a clear compensation plan. Front Street Coffee reminds that food safety is no small matter, and brands need to strictly fulfill their legal responsibilities and strengthen risk monitoring and prevention. [more…]

A single cup of fruit tea smoothie turned out to contain fragments of an entire packet of deoxidizer. After drinking it, the consumer experienced a foreign-body sensation in the throat and a burning stomach, and was diagnosed with chemical esophagitis after seeking medical attention. The store involved first admitted it was an employee operational error, then said the deoxidizer had been crushed together with its outer packaging and filler and mixed into the ingredients, but later denied during mediation that the drink contained deoxidizer. The brand's apology letter was also deleted not long afterward. In this food safety dispute at a chain tea beverage brand, from medical consultation and negotiation to a 12315 complaint and market supervision bureau mediation, the compensation issue remained unresolved, sparking heated discussion online about the safety of freshly made drinks and brand responsibility. [more…]