In a viral video, a Starbucks barista refuses a customer’s tip due to a line in the drive-thru. The customer implores the barista to take tips in the future.
TikTok user Ky (@kyleeraevyn) posted a video showing the interaction. It’s amassed more than 500,000 views in just a day.
The video shows Ky inside her vehicle at the Starbucks drive-thru as she pays for her beverage. The on-screen text reads, “Barista at Starbucks wouldn’t accept tips because there was a long line.”
In the brief, 27-second interaction, Ky thanks the barista for her drink before noticing that she’s not able to add a tip on the card reader. “Oh, sorry, I just hit ‘no’ by default,” the barista says. After Ky objects, the barista explains, “I had a line.”
Why did the Starbucks barista refuse a tip?
Ky points out that if the line is long, the barista is working hard and therefore deserves a tip even more. “You’re working even harder when you have a line,” she says. “So you deserve a tip.” The barista responds that he appreciates Ky’s generosity.
In the caption, Ky writes, “I cried because why wouldn’t he deserve a tip??? And why did he apologize????”
According to the New York Post, Starbucks is currently working to ease drive-thru wait times in an effort to combat flagging sales.
Baristas weigh in on the story
In the comments section, viewers weighed in on the barista’s decision and the state of the industry at-large.
One user wrote, “I don’t think people realize how bad baristas are burnt out.”
A second user wrote, “I literally do the same thing. It just moves the drive thru faster.”
A third user said, “Barista here! People are rude about the tip screen, especially when there is a line. We get scurred sometimes.” Ky replied, “That’s so sad.”
Someone else wrote, “I know you were being nice, but it felt like you were scolding him. I would have cried.” Ky responded, “Scolding with love.”
@kyleeraevyn I cried because why wouldn’t he deserve a tip??? AND WHY DID HE APOLOGIZE??? 😭 #creatorsearchinsights #starbucks #starbucksbarista #errandsvlog #coffee ♬ original sound – Ky
Update 1:55pm CT, Oct. 24: In an interview with the Daily Dot, Ky shared, “I feel like so many people say they didn’t expect a video to blow up once it has, but I truly feel that way. I posted this simply because I thought it was a bittersweet interaction, and I was in disbelief that someone would be so concerned about getting customers out of the drive thru that they’d miss out on a tip.”
Ky called the comments section of the video “wild” and unexpected.
“From former and current Starbucks employees angry that someone would decline tips, to former and current Starbucks employees sharing the amount of times they’ve done this due to treatment they’ve received from customers and management. There were also comments arguing about tipping in general, comments from people angry that I didn’t have cash?” she said.
Ky added, “My original goal of sharing this interaction was to let people know that baristas, food service workers, etc. still deserve the opportunity to be tipped for their work, despite there being a line or not, and I still stand by that.”
We also reached out to Starbucks via email for comment.
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