The Starbucks Philadelphia arrest controversy stems from a viral 2018 incident where two Black men were arrested while waiting for a business associate at a Philadelphia location. The footage of the arrest went viral, sparking a massive national conversation about racial profiling in retail spaces and leading Starbucks to close thousands of stores for anti-bias training. As a meme, the template is often used to highlight hypocrisy, corporate overreactions, or the 'waiting for a friend' scenario in various humorous or serious contexts. It serves as a visual shorthand for situations where someone is doing something harmless but is treated with suspicion or extreme measures.