Coffee shops must act to end ‘pervasive humiliation’, says stammering charity

A disabled people’s organisation is calling on coffee shops to do more to avoid the “pervasive humiliation” faced by many customers who stammer when they try to place their order.

Many people who stammer can be rushed, ignored and even mimicked when they try to order a coffee, says STAMMA.

The charity wants coffee shops to overhaul their practices, train their staff and provide alternative ways of ordering that are accessible to people who stammer.

More than 1,500 people (including 700 who stammer) responded to a STAMMA survey earlier this year about their experiences of customer service in cafes and restaurants.

Those who stammer were nearly twice as likely as non-stammerers to say that they sometimes do not order what they want to eat or drink.

And of this group, 90 per cent said the main reason was their speech.

A key barrier they face is being asked for their name so staff can call it out when the order is ready.

The survey found that 83 per cent of those who stammer said they found it hard to say their name on demand.

Being asked to say your name when you order a coffee is standard practice in Starbucks.

One person who stammers told the charity: “Having to order coffee in Starbucks because family wanted to go!

“They always ask for a name, which for a lot of people who stammer is a nightmare.

“On my own I can potentially give a different name, but with family and friends I don’t feel comfortable doing so.

“I struggle to get my name out, get something odd written on the cup, and then hear them laughing and making comments to a colleague, which just makes my embarrassment even worse.”

Another said: “I was ordering my usual from my local café: an oat milk latte.

“Oat can be a tricky word for me and this time, I struggled with it. The staff member snorted with laughter until I finally managed to say the word.”

And another person who stammers told the charity: “I wanted to order a new coffee which had been advertised and a brownie from behind the glass counter.

“I knew I would struggle asking for both items so instead ordered an americano and grabbed a pre-packed cake that I didn’t need to ask for.”

Jane Powell, STAMMA’s chief executive, said: “We’re calling on the major brands to make such a mundane task accessible for people who stammer.

“We’re looking for basic training to be put in place so that coffee shop staff can recognise when someone is stammering and don’t behave in a manner which is potentially litigious.”

STAMMA has produced a new guide for managers in coffee shops to help them provide a better experience for customers who stammer, or have other speech disfluencies, such as people whose speech has been affected following a stroke or due to Parkinson’s.

It is also keen to hear from more people who stammer about their coffee shop experiences.

The latest action is part of STAMMA’s Space to Stammer campaign, which aims to create a culture where customer-facing companies and businesses naturally consider stammering.

Neither Starbucks nor Costa Coffee had responded by 11am today (Thursday) to requests to comment on the campaign.

Picture by STAMMA

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