A 37-year-old man has been banned from Starbucks after attempting to hit on a teenage barista.
Staff at the Spokane, Washington, branch felt compelled to call the police after the man handed the 16-year-old staff member a "creepy" note, The Independent reports.
Later taking to Facebook to defend his actions, the man claimed the incident was a case of "age discrimination", stating that the teenager said he was "funny" and that she liked him.
In response, he wrote her "a nice note" asking her out to a dinner date.
In the post, the unnamed man then urged Facebook users to complain to the company on his behalf. However, this backfired, as the popular coffee chain has instead received countless messages of support from customers.
The Independent reports that when the man attempted to enter the cafe the following day, he was intercepted by a police officer and informed that he was banned as a result of the "creepy" note - the exact content of which has not been shared online.
Recalling the events, the man writes: "I know the female Starbucks barista was of legal age to date. I broke no laws. I merely took a chance with my heart."
He then likened being called a "creep" to being called a racial or homophobic slur.
In another message, he explained that he has "a whole webpage dedicated to age gap love", and that he has not had a girlfriend for five years.
The man's Facebook page also details his attraction to dating extremely young women in their teens and early twenties, The Independent states.
"I want to date 18 year old women, to be honest," he reportedly said, describing them as the "best looking", most "intelligent, sultry". He adds that his beliefs were supported by "science".
The news outlet adds that the man has also shared incoherent theories about enzymes, DNA, and reproduction.
The unnamed man ended his bizarre post with what is believed to be an echo of his note to the teenage barista: "Dinner with me at Red Robin."
He then signed it off with: "And if not, Happy Holidays, bigots."
Per the ABC-affiliated KVEW, Starbucks has said in a statement that they do not tolerate harassment against employees.
In response, one Facebook user replied online: "Thank you for standing up for your young employee who was approached romantically by an older man. As a mom of two teen girls, I applaud a business for standing up for their employees when they feel violated or uncomfortable."
Another added: "As someone who was in customer service as a teen, I want to say thank you for protecting your employees from harassment."
In an email exchange with the man, he claims he has a lawyer and will be pursuing a lawsuit against Starbucks.
