Texas coffee shop worker’s secret note to customer sparks debate

Photo: Bangkok Click Studio/Shutterstock

A secret note slipped to a young woman by a coffee shop employee, attempting to aid her while an unfamiliar man was trying to make her acquaintance, sparked a debate online, with netizens questioning if it was an overreaction.

If you are a woman sitting alone late at night, unwanted attention from a stranger can be frightening. It’s fortunate if a kind-hearted individual is around to assist when necessary. However, this isn’t always the case.

Such an incident occurred in a Texas coffee shop in the United States when an 18 year old female student was studying alone and was approached by an unfamiliar man.

A female barista who witnessed the event became concerned and decided to step in, bringing the young woman a hot chocolate, claiming it was “ordered but forgotten” by a customer.

In reality, it was all a ruse. The barista had discreetly written a note to the young woman. The secret note on the beverage cup read, “Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If so, please remove the lid from the cup.”

Texas coffee shop worker's secret note to customer sparks debate | News by Thaiger
The secret note on the cup read the following message as displayed in the picture, sparking debate online. Photo by Sanook.

The entire situation was disclosed by the young woman’s mother, who decided to post a picture of the beverage cup on Facebook, expressing her gratitude.

“I am truly grateful for people who look after others because the employees noticed something was odd and the man was rather loud, they stepped in to help.”

The mother added that her daughter never took the lid off the beverage because she still felt safe but knew that the staff were watching over her the entire time, so she was extremely grateful and thought highly of the coffee brand’s excellent employees.

The story shared by the mother has garnered a lot of attention, as it went viral again after being shared on platform X (formerly Twitter). The post was viewed over 21.6 million times and liked 240,300 times in just three days, with thousands of comments, reported Sanook.

Netizens React

Many netizens commented in admiration of the employee.

“There are still good people in this world!”

“As a father of a daughter, I am glad that there are people looking out for young women. In today’s society, more people should actively intervene. You never know what the actual situation is. Kudos to the employee for stepping in and not keeping quiet.”

However, others pointed out that the young woman felt “safe” with the unfamiliar man who was trying to get to know her. Hence, they argued that the employee’s intervention was a severe overreaction, and it’s a clear example of why many young men are afraid to start a conversation with women.

“I feel bad for the guys who might want to get to know a girl they’re interested in.”

“I don’t understand why the employee had to ‘help’ in this situation.”

“It’s a public place and there are several valid reasons why this man approached her!”

“Promoting sensible preventive measures is one thing, but instilling fear and paranoia is another.”

“Can’t approach women in coffee shops (too creepy), can’t approach women at work (unprofessional), can’t approach women at the gym (intrusive and creepy), can’t approach women at church (sinful), can’t even approach women in public anymore. What are men supposed to do?”

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE.

World News

Samantha Rose

Samantha was a successful freelance journalist who worked with international news organisations before joining Thaiger. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from London, her global perspective on news and current affairs is influenced by her days in the UK, Singapore, and across Thailand. She now covers general stories related to Thailand.

Related Articles