Starbucks Kazakhstan deletes "Happy Hour" Ramadan promotion following backlash

• Starbucks Kazakhstan pulls "Ramadan" coffee deal after scheduling it during peak fasting hours.

Starbucks Kazakhstan has found itself in hot water after a social media marketing campaign meant to celebrate the "Ramadan season" was widely condemned as insensitive and out of touch with the very community it aimed to engage.

The controversy began when the company’s Threads account, @starbuckskz, posted an announcement for a "Buy One, Get One Free" deal on Salted Caramel Lattes. The promotion, labeled as "happy hours," was scheduled daily from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, the height of the afternoon when observant Muslims are strictly fasting.

A "tone-deaf" strategy

Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, during which millions of Muslims worldwide abstain from all food and drink from dawn until sunset. By scheduling a coffee promotion in the middle of the day, Starbucks inadvertently excluded the demographic it was ostensibly honoring.

Social media users were quick to point out the logical fallacy of the campaign. Critics argued that the timing was exclusionary, noting that a midday promotion is useless to those observing the fast.

Others said it lacked cultural awareness, noting that many users expressed frustration that a global brand would fail to realize that Ramadan-themed deals should naturally align with Iftar (the sunset meal to break the fast).

While some commenters suggested the brand was simply "using the Ramadan name" for profit without understanding the religious significance of the month.