A 19-year-old trainee barista at Hampstead’s popular eatery, The Coffee Cup, was fired Sunday afternoon after cocoa powder foam on a Jewish customer’s coffee allegedly appeared in the shape of a swastika.
Speaking to Jewish News, the customer, a 45-year-old man from north London who asked to remain anonymous, said he had gone out for breakfast with his family and decided to stop at The Coffee Cup without a reservation.
“I know it very well,” he said. “They were very, very helpful and managed to get us in.” His wife ordered a cappuccino, and when it arrived, he noticed the design on the foam.
“When it landed, I saw that and said, ‘Surely that is a swastika?’” he recalled.
The father of two said he did not want to cause a scene but called the manager over to raise his concern.
“I said, ‘Listen, we’re Jewish, maybe visibly, so to me, that looks like a very obvious symbol, and we’re not OK with it,’” he said. “To be fair to him, he was mortified.”
The café’s general manager, Bekim Haradini, took a photo of the coffee and went into the kitchen before returning to apologize.
“He said, ‘Listen, I’m absolutely sorry. I don’t think the intention is there at all,’” the customer said. “‘We’ve got a trainee barista. He’s a 19-year-old kid. He says he doesn’t even know what a swastika is. He was trying to do a swirl. We’re terribly, terribly sorry.’”
The customer said the matter appeared to be resolved at that point.
“I didn’t necessarily need the kid fired, but I wanted him to at least acknowledge that it was not OK, which he did very, very quickly,” he said. “The management were great about it.”
Confirming the incident, Haradini told Jewish News that he fired the barista immediately.
“This has never happened before,” he said. “I was really upset. I fired him. He’s young, and he started to cry and was shaking, but I got so upset. He’s no longer working here.”
The barista, identified as Mesut, who worked weekends at the café, told Haradini he did not realize what the design resembled.
“He said he didn’t know,” Haradini said. “I said, ‘What do you mean you didn’t know?’ He said, ‘I swear I didn’t do it.’”
Jewish News reviewed CCTV footage of the coffee being prepared and found no evidence that the symbol was created deliberately.
Haradini said he wanted to demonstrate to Jewish customers that the incident was taken seriously.
“I did take immediate action,” he said. “I was very upset and fired him straight away.”
He added that he did not believe the barista acted intentionally.
“It’s never happened before,” Haradini said. “I’ve seen him making flowers when he does designs in cappuccinos.”
In a text message to Mesut reviewed by Jewish News, Haradini wrote: “Because of this sign, you’re fired. I know you didn’t mean it, but I just can’t stand it.”
The customer said he did not see who made the coffee.
“Ultimately, if there was intent, then I’m glad he was fired,” he said. “If there wasn’t, then it’s a really harsh lesson for the kid. Symbols carry weight whether we like it or not.”
He said he would return to the café.
“I wouldn’t hesitate going back to The Coffee Cup,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a problem with antisemitism there, and I’d like to thank the management again for taking the matter so seriously.”
The Coffee Cup on Hampstead High Street was established in 1954.