While people often tend to pop into their local Starbucks for a hot drink, the popular coffeehouse company has been applauded for something very different this week. One man took to Twitter to praise a kind hearted barista for going the extra mile to accommodate an 18-year-old customer in need.
James Herring, who boasts over 33,000 followers on Twitter under @itsjamesherring, commended the staff member for leaving a surprise message on a customer's coffee cup, the Mirror reports. The tweet, which was posted on January 16, went viral as social media users praised the sincere interaction between the barista and the young stranger.
The teen had been approached by a stranger and the Starbucks worker cleverly left a discreet message for the girl on a hot chocolate cup they said had been left by another customer. The message on the cup said: "Are you ok? Do you want us to intervene?"
The barista added: "If you do, take the lid off the cup". Twitter user James uploaded a picture of the cup along with the message: "Kudos to the Starbucks' barista who checked in on a teenage girl by writing a discreet message on her cup.
"The teen was observed being approached by a stranger so the staff member passed her 'hot chocolate someone forgot to pick up'."
Brandy Robertson, the mother of the young girl who wishes to remain anonymous, said her daughter was at the Starbucks in Corpus Christi, Texas, alone on a Saturday night when she was approached by the employee.
The teen had been studying herself and when she returned home she told her mum about the incident. The mum said: "She was holding the cup and knew that I would love that someone did that for her.
"It made me feel so grateful that the Starbucks employees were watching out for her. As a mom, that is my worst fear that something would happen to my child and nobody would be there to help."
In 2016, the multinational coffeehouse company have increased their support and assistance through their Ask for Angela campaign which helps protect people from sexual assault.
It encourages customers who feel vulnerable, unsafe or threatened to discreetly seek help by approaching staff. By asking for 'Angela' who is a made up member of staff the phrase will indicate that the person needs help with a situation and they will be supported and assisted by an employee.
The method is used by venues to keep customers safe with a secret codeword that alarms staff when they are in an uncomfortable situation or in danger.
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