“Meno, so Star-K recommends that it is okay, from their perspective, for kosher consumers to consume coffee prepared in a Starbucks that also prepares non-kosher meat and potentially washes their meat and coffee utensils together?”
Joseph,
Take a look at the list before drawing conclusions. The Star-K makes it quite clear what they hold is acceptable and what is not. They put it in a nice clear table with big, bold, green check marks and red X’s.
The only thing they I feel they didn’t explain well is the second column. There’s an asterisk next to the word “traveling” but it doesn’t lead to any footnotes. I’ve heard in the past that if you’re driving and need to stop for coffee then it’s better to rely on kulos than potentially fall asleep at the wheel. But the article on the Star-K website that says the following:
Based on the reasoning I mentioned, I don’t understand the reason for being lenient on airplanes.