A new menu item is making Starbucks’ bathroom lines longer than ever.
The java giant’s latest innovation is called “Oleato,” which fuses coffee with olive oil. Starbucks describes Oleato as “velvety smooth” and “delicately sweet.” But as soon as the drink launched, customers flooded social media with warnings about a surprising side effect: explosive poop.
“That oleato drink from starbs makin my stomach speak,” one person tweeted.
“Tried the olive oil coffee from starbucks this morning and just got fired for spending too much time in the bathroom,” added another.
Starbucks baristas confirmed the controversy:
“Half the team tried it yesterday and a few ended up… needing to use the restroom, if ya know what I mean,” wrote one barista on the Starbucks Reddit page.
The idea for the new range came to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz during a trip to Sicily, where it’s customary to drink a spoonful of olive oil every day. He said he started adding it to his coffee which produced an “unexpected, velvety, buttery flavor that enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate.”
The Oleata drinks debuted in select US Starbucks stores in March 2023. They include the Oleato caffe latte, ice shaken espresso, and a cold brew variety—all of which are doused with Partanna cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil.
Schulz predicted Oleata would “transform the coffee industry,” but so far it only appears to be transforming people’s bowel habits.
“It’s like they intentionally want people to blow up their bathrooms,” wrote another Redditor.
So why exactly do these Oleata drinks trigger such a strong laxative effect?
Coffee on its own is notorious for kickstarting your colon. But adding olive oil into your morning brew is risky business for your…business.
Fats like olive oil stimulate your digestive system and smooth out your bowel, making it easier for turds to escape. If you consume too much olive oil too fast, it can give you the sudden urge to poop, especially if you have an empty stomach—like many people do when they drink their morning coffee.
No wonder customers are blowing up the bathroom after their morning brew.
We love a good poop joke as much as the next DUDE, but this Oleata line could pose legit problems for people with digestive health issues.
“I wouldn’t touch these drinks with a ten-foot pole,” wrote one IBD patient on Reddit.
One barista wrote that it’s “F’d up” that the Starbucks store managers won’t let employees warn customers about the potential for tummy troubles.
We’re not here to discourage you from ordering an Oleata on your next Starbucks run. All we’re saying is you better have some DUDE Wipes handy. If any Starbucks employees are reading this, we’d be happy to stock your bathrooms with all the wipes your customers need.
