Starbucks barista praised for secret message he slipped to girl in cafe
A Starbucks barista has been praised for their quick thinking after writing a secret message on a young customer's cup.
The barista, who has not been named, spotted the girl after she entered the coffee chain, and decided to reach out in a subtle way.
Ever since, people have been praising the barista for their quick thinking.
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Sharing a photo of the secret message on X (formerly Twitter), social media user @itsjamesherring explained what had happened.
It turns out that after the teenager entered the Starbucks chain - which is currently undisclosed - she was approached by a stranger.
Worrying about whether the girl was in a vulnerable situation, the barista decided to write a secret message on her cup.
In the message, they explained what she could do if she wanted Starbucks staff to intervene.
"Kudos to the Starbucks' barista who checked in on a teenage girl by writing a discreet message on her cup," the X user wrote.
"The teen was observed being approached by a stranger so the staff member passed her 'hot chocolate someone forgot to pick up'."
The message on the cup read: "Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup."
People were impressed with the barista's quick thinking, with one believing they should even win employee of the year for the gesture.
"Deserves employee of the year award," they wrote, while another said: "Good job!!"
And a third added: "Agreed Kudos to the Starbucks staff that's a brilliant gesture."
Ladbible has reached out to Starbucks for comment.
The barista's gesture is similar to the 'Ask Angela' campaign, aimed at helping people who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened in bars, clubs and other night time venues.
Anyone who feels uncomfortable on a night out can approach staff and use the code word 'Angela' to discreetly indicate that they are in need of assistance and require help or support.
This can take the form of calling them a taxi, helping them reunite with a friend or notifying security and/or the police if the situation warrants it.
"Ask for Angela training means staff follow the right procedure to support and assist you through uncomfortable situations with no fuss, so you don’t need to worry about it causing a scene," the campaign explains.
"The assistance you receive might be reuniting you with a friend, seeing you to a taxi, or if it’s a serious safety issue, alerting venue security and/or the police.
"Ask for Angela aims to ensure no-one need feel unsafe."
Lucy Devine