EMPLOYEES of coffeehouse giant Starbucks are feeling the heat following a call to boycott brands with alleged ties to Israel.

Attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces over the past month have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, including women and children.

Israel retaliated after a series of coordinated offensives by the Hamas on October 7 which killed an estimated 1,200 people and resulted in 240 hostages being taken to Gaza .

Numerous local pro-Palestinian groups have called for a boycott of products linked to Israel. They also organised street rallies to show solidarity with Palestine.

Starbucks is one of many companies with ties with Israel but CEO Howard Schultz has denied funding Tel Aviv. Starbucks has 365 outlets in Malaysia.

A part-time barista at an outlet in Setia Alam, Selangor said the war in Gaza has had a significant impact on sales.

The student, who wished to be known as Alya, said part-time workers have been to told not to come to work because of the lack of business.

“Our daily sales typically range between RM13,000 and RM15,000 but for the past two weeks, daily sales were down to RM7,000,” she said.

Alya said there are now fewer Muslim customers than before.

“I think the decrease in sales can be attributed to the boycott ,” she said.

Another Starbucks employee at Setia City Mall, said there have been fewer Malay customers since the conflict started.

“Some nights, this outlet is almost empty. Only a few people come in to have coffee. The rest are empty. I have never seen such a situation before.”

The female worker, who declined to be named, hoped the situation would return to normal soon.

“I do understand the situation right nowl I hope something can be done about it.

“Many of the part-timers are students, if they can’t work, they can’t earn money. I feel sorry for them,” she added.

In a recent interview with The Malaysian Insight, BDS Malaysia chairman Prof Dr Nazari Ismail said Malaysians must boycott companies and brands linked to Israel.

A check at a Starbucks outlet in the Kuala Lumpur city centre showed the boycott has gained traction.

An outlet in Avenue K in front of KLCC had fewer than 10 people. The manager refused to comment.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s Malaysia is also in the same situation. The company has denied involvement with Israel. Checks showed fewer than usual customers at its outlets.

Gerbang Alaf Restaurants, which owns McDonald’s Malaysia, said in a statement it is a local firm that is 100% Muslim-owned.

It said it did not approve of the actions of a McDonald’s outlet in Israel to provide food to the army.

McDonald’s has 21,000 employees in more than 350 outlets in Malaysia.

A restaurant manager in Shah Alam said the boycott has affected business.

The manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there has been a big drop in Malay customers.

“We have had to cut working hours because there has not been many customers after the Gaza conflict broke out.”

“I heard that some outlet now open only until 2am instead of 24 hours,” the manager said.

There were also reports of McDonald’s staff being labelled Jewish supporters and insulted.

A PR agency hired by Gerbang Alaf told The Malaysian Insight that it would not be issuing any statements.

Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor has urged people not to boycott McDonald’s Malaysia as the company is also paying zakat in several states.

Wan Salim said a boycott must be based on evidence and not hearsay and assumption. – November 15, 2023.