Halal Starbucks?

[Hoppinggreen]

Hello Ladies
I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to answer a question for me.
I work with people from all over the world when they arrive in The UK and often have Muslim clients, I also live in a Multi cultural area and the DC have had Muslim friends visit so I though that I understood some of the basics of Halal/Haram food.
However, I was with a Muslim Gentleman and his family from Pakistan on Monday and we needed a drink/loo break (we were travelling) and I suggested a nearby Starbucks. He said he didn't think he would find anything to eat there as they needed to keep Halal. I suggested that they would probably be able to find something Vegetarian that would suffice but he said that they couldn't eat there.
His wife then said that they COULD go but only drink and they did actually get some apple juice there for the children and the wife had snacks in her bag.
I have never had this come up before and I need to make sure that I am not suggesting something that could be offensive.
I am well aware that vegetarian and Halal are NOT the same but I thought that in the absence of Halal food Vegetarian food is acceptable. I have fed Muslims vegetarian food in my home.
Please can someone confirm as this isn't idle curiosity I need to know professionally?
Thank You

Hi @Hoppinggreen
You are right that vegetarian food is usually halal, but it's like a lot of Muslims think they will die if they don't get meat with every meal 😆In the case of this family it could be that they fear cross-contamination with non-halal meat products, which might explain why they accepted drinks. As an aside, there are Starbucks branches in Pakistan though I assume those are fully halal.

Thank you
I did wonder about the fear of cross contamination, although I would hope there are guidelines around any meat contamination around Vegetarian/vegan food.
Glad to hear my suggestion of Starbucks was ok in principle though

@Hoppinggreen you're right that the vegetarian options in places like Starbucks should be ok - cross-contamination should be being avoided anyway. Some people do choose to avoid supporting companies like Starbucks on ethical grounds (like a lot of big corporations people can have concerns about various aspects of business practices, eg investments, employee treatment, involvement in campaigns), so is it possible that was a factor? And I know some people who won't choose to eat anything in any place that isn't fully halal. Nothing wrong with what you suggested imo - I'd just have been happy to stretch my legs and get some caffeine!

@Scirocco thank you.
I suspect that it was that they are new to the country and figuring it all out. I imagine another factor may have been that they weren't 100% sure whether I understood Halal/Haram properly and didn't want to take a risk.
I THOUGHT I did but started to have doubts - hence my post on here