The smallest gesture can sometimes do more good than you could ever imagine. In fact, hospitality personnel have several subtle methods for conveying their concern about the safety and well-being of customers, methods that are discreet and make a great impact.
In February 2022, a Starbucks barista in Texas intervened by inscribing a message on a cup for a teenage customer she had been concerned about.
Highlights
- Starbucks barista's note helped safeguard an 18-year-old from a stranger.
- Note read: 'Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup.'
- Story went viral again after being shared on the X platform by Call to Activism.
Last year Starbucks barista gave a young girl a secret note on a cup to help her after seeing a man bothering her
Image credits: KAL VISUALS
Brandy Selim Roberson commended the staff member in question for taking action when her 18-year-old daughter, who was studying alone at a Corpus Christi establishment, was approached by an unfamiliar man. Brandy told The Post: “The man was very loud and animated.”
As a result, the heroic barista approached the high school senior and passed her a disposable coffee cup, explaining that it was "an extra hot chocolate someone forgot to pick up."
Unbeknownst to the scared student, the Starbucks employee had written a message that read, “Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup.”
Brandy recalled: “She looked up and just saw a row of baristas staring at her — ready to step in.”
However, the young girl reassured the staff that she was fine and didn't require their intervention.
Brandy went on to express her wish that other establishments would provide similar training to their workers.
The mom said: “This reaffirms my faith in humanity. Maybe just seeing this story, others … if given the opportunity to say something or turn away, they would say something.”
The story, which was originally posted by the student's mom last year, went viral again after lobby Call to Activism shared it on X
Image credits: CALL TO ACTIVISM
Brandy’s daughter’s story recently went viral again online after being shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the account Call to Activism.
“This gave me goosebumps,” the account wrote in a post that has been viewed 22.3 million times.
Call to Activism is an American political lobby with the self-described goal “to help Democrats with messaging by defining issues on strong emotional terms that resonate with voters.”
People working in hospitality have a history of protecting their customer, as a similar story occurred back in 2021, when a bartender in Florida went viral after writing a similar helping note on a receipt to two women who were being bothered by a strange man.
“If this guy is bothering you, put your ponytail on your other shoulder, and I will have him removed. He’s giving me the creeps,” the note reportedly read.
In 2016, the UK and Ireland launched a campaign to offer training and help for such situations.
Named Ask for Angela, the initiative has been used by bars, music festivals, and other venues to keep people safe from sexual assault by using a codeword to identify when they are in danger or are in an uncomfortable situation.
According to The Tab, when an establishment has been trained for this campaign, a person who believes themselves to be in danger can ask for Angela, a fictitious member of the staff.
The staff will then help the person get home discreetly and safely by either escorting them to a different room, calling them a taxi and escorting them to it, or by asking the other party member to leave the establishment.
Brandy Selim Roberson, the girl's mom, commended the staff member in question for taking action
Image credits: CALL TO ACTIVISM
Posters are placed on the stall doors inside toilets of the establishments where the campaign is being implemented, the BBC reported.
Nevertheless, hospitality staff jumping to the rescue of customers who feel threatened by a potential predator has sparked heated debate online, amidst a DatePsychology study which suggested that nearly half of young men under 25 had never approached a woman in person, with most citing fear of rejection and fear of social consequences.
After reading Brandy’s testimony, singer Phil Labonte wrote on X: “And some people wonder why so many young men have never approached a woman.”
Another X user wrote: “Can’t approach women in coffee shop (creepy). Can’t approach women at work (unprofessional). Can’t approach women at the gym (distracting, creepy). Can’t approach women at church (no singles). Can’t approach women in public (with friends). What are men supposed to do?”
Brandy recalled: “She looked up and just saw a row of baristas staring at her — ready to step in”
Image credits: Asael Peña
However, certain individuals argued that the adverse response from "angry men" simply validated their argument that many men were in fact predators.
“Men in the quotes giving us great examples of why the employees stepped in,” a person said.
Another chimed in: “Y’all are not entitled to speak to women simply because you think you can or perceive yourself as no harm.”
Dad wrote: “As a father of a daughter, I’m glad people are still looking out,” one wrote.
The United Nations has found that globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30 percent of women aged 15 and older).
Moreover, less than 40 percent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort.
Many people were delighted to hear the mom's story
But other people were divided on the matter, with some thinking Starbucks employee overstepped
