According to China Economic Daily, a Starbucks outlet in China was punished for selling outdated items, the company's latest setback in the world's second-largest market.
According to the site, the branch in Hangzhou city was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,500) last month when inspectors discovered outdated coffee powder on its shelves.
The consequence provoked an outcry on social media from people who said they had lost faith in the coffee chain because of its difficulties in the country.
The hashtag "Starbucks penalized for expired coffee" has nearly 100 million views on the Weibo platform, which is similar to Twitter.
"They're prohibitively expensive, and they can't even ensure food safety. Who now dares to drink their coffee?" One Weibo user made a remark.
"Starbucks has had far too many problems. Have they not been sufficiently fined?" another user commented.