A Starbucks Employee Trusted Their Instincts About A Customer And Made A Bold Move

This guy had walked over to a table, where a lone figure was sitting. It was a teenage girl, who seemed like she’d been minding her own business, concentrating on some work, before she was interrupted. The man was engaging her in conversation, but the barista noted that the girl didn’t seem to be at ease.

The more the barista watched this strange interaction unfold, the more convinced they became that something was actually very wrong. This young girl really didn’t seem as though she was remotely comfortable talking to this man. As a matter of fact, it didn’t seem like she even knew him at all.

Now, the barista was in a bind. What could they do to help bring this interaction to a safe conclusion? This was a delicate situation, after all, and it needed to be treated as such. The coffee house worker thought hard about it, and then the perfect idea came to them.

The barista had a strategy now, but it still needed to be executed to perfection. They needed to communicate with the girl, but without alerting the man to what was going on. Subtlety was the name of the game here. So, taking a breath, they carefully set their plan in motion.

We don’t even know the names of the barista or the girl involved in this story, so how do we know what went down at all? Well, in the wake of everything that unfolded, the mother of the girl wrote a Facebook post about it. This woman, Brandy Roberson, described what the Starbucks worker had done to help her child.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: a strange man talking to their child. That’s probably why Brandy’s post really seemed to strike a chord with lots of people online. The story went viral, getting so big, in the end, that it was even picked up by news outlets from around the world.

The barista has plenty of admirers now for the clever way they handled this tricky situation. But, of course, it wouldn’t be the first time people working in the services industry have had to intervene to keep people safe. Lots of institutions and their staff go out of their way to ensure customers have a way out of potentially dangerous scenarios.

For example, in 2016 a campaign was launched in the U.K. aimed at helping people who felt threatened in bars to have a discreet way out of a problematic situation. Basically, it all revolved around individuals uttering a secret code. This would alert staff to a problem, meaning they could then spring into action.

In the case of this particular campaign, customers who needed help would go to the bar and ask for someone named Angela. Upon hearing this, the staff would know the person who said it needed help. They would then try to assist them, whether that meant finding one of their friends or escorting them to a cab. If necessary, law enforcement might be alerted.

Institutions that were involved in this campaign ensured that their staff were specifically trained to deal with situations such as this. That way, they knew how to properly assess a scene and to figure out an appropriate response. They were hopefully able to provide a swift, safe, and discreet resolution.

Lots of people, sadly, can find themselves in uncomfortable or even threatening situations, particularly when going on dates. Things can take a bad turn sometimes, so campaigns like this one are a really important way to help deal with such situations. In the U.K., simply asking for “Angela” can really help a person out.

But in the case of Brandy’s teenage daughter in that Corpus Christi Starbucks in February 2022, things weren’t so simple. She was sitting at her table, with a man blocking her way. She wasn’t in a position to signal for help, so it was down to the staff to figure something out. Luckily, one of the baristas did just that.

The barista knew they needed to do something, but they didn’t want to antagonize the man. So, they scribbled something on a cup of hot chocolate and walked over to the girl’s table. They laid it down in front of her, as if it had just been one of her orders that she’d forgotten to collect.

The girl may initially have been quite confused by this — after all, she hadn’t ordered anything. But things became clearer when she looked down at the cup and realized it bore a message. It said, “Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup.”

Thankfully, the girl did feel secure. And before long, the man caught wind of the fact that the staff were paying close attention to how his interaction with the girl was playing out. Feeling all this attention, the stranger eventually opted to leave and the tricky situation came to a safe end.

The girl then went home and immediately informed her mom about what had happened. Speaking to TV show Today, Brandy recalled, “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.”

Brandy also mentioned what her daughter had said about the suspicious man at the center of this story. She said, “It sounded like he was quite animated. I believe this is what alerted the employees. He had also not come in with my daughter, so they knew she probably did not know him.”

In the end, thankfully, everything worked out just fine. The girl, in the end, left the Starbucks safe and sound. And for that, Brandy is extremely relieved. She reflected, “As a mom, that is my worst fear — that something would happen to my child and nobody would be there to help.”

Brandy never intended for her post to go viral — she just wanted to show how thankful she felt towards the Starbucks workers. She said, “I am incredibly grateful to the staff there. I hope that we can all learn from them and be willing to help anyone who seems that they might need help.” As any fast food employee would tell you, you always have to be alert when dealing with the unpredictable public.

One manager learned this firsthand when he encountered someone in an even worse situation than Brandy's daughter was in. As the manager of a popular fast food joint specializing in Louisiana Creole food and fried chicken, Ahmed Elmadhoun always needed to be on his A game. And that's doubly the case on Wednesdays when the Houston restaurant runs an affordable special. But one Wednesday in 2018 blew the rest out of the water.

Naturally, Ahmed always tried to ensure everything ran smoothly on the day of the special to avoid customer confrontations, but sometimes curve balls were thrown his way. In February of 2018, Ahmed encountered a particularly unusual situation.

A woman with a young child entered the chicken joint. Normally nothing would've stood out about the duo — parents and children came in all the time to eat. This mother, however, asked to speak to the owner privately.

Though busy, Ahmed agreed to step away from the rush and speak with the woman. He wondered if she'd had a bad dining experience or wanted to offer suggestions to improve the place. Instead, she told him a tragic story.

She explained to the manager she was taking care of her 10 grandchildren, and although the entire group was famished, they didn't have enough money to afford even one piece of chicken — even with the special Wednesday deal.

Saddened and bothered by the story, Ahmed assumed the next words out of her mouth would be a question of whether he'd be wiling to let her get a few pieces for free, which he would have agreed to. However, she had a different suggestion.

She inquired whether Ahmed would be willing to part ways with some chicken on loan, telling him she was to get paid the following day and would absolutely bring him the money she owed. She offered collateral, too.

See, while Ahmed might have had trouble trusting just anyone who came to him with a compromise like that, this woman actually offered up her license and social security card as collateral. She was someone whose words were pure.

So, Ahmed headed to the kitchen, where he packed box after box with not just chicken, but whatever other food he could find. He saw the struggle in the woman's eyes, and he refused to let her leave without a meal.

When Ahmed handed the food over to the woman, he told her she wasn't to return the next day with money; he was happy to cover the cost. The woman was floored by the gesture, but Ahmed wasn't done yet.

In an act of incredible generosity, Ahmed told the woman if she couldn't afford food at any time at all, she could return to Frenchy's Chicken and the staff would be more than happy to serve them. "We're here for you," he said.

Soon, more than just restaurant employees were looking out for the woman. A few other patrons who were dining witnessed Ahmed's kind act, and they followed the woman out to her car and helped her load up the trays of chicken.

A woman named Lowe Petties, who was also enjoying a meal with her partner that night, actually snapped a photo of the encounter with her phone, giving every day people the chance to watch a genuine act of human kindness.

Because Lowe didn't just keep the photo for herself; she shared it on social media so everyone was aware Ahmed was a great manager. It might even bring his restaurant more business, as well. The reaction was incredible.

Within weeks, the picture exploded all over Facebook, like the flavor of Frency's fried chicken. It garnered an impressive 15,000 reactions and 5,400 shares. To Ahmed, this was nice but it didn't matter — he was just being kind, after all.

Ahmed also read the long list of comments people left praising him. One of his favorites read, "Absolutely beautiful the entire thing. As long as people like these two are still around there has to be hope for this world. God bless you all."

He was even interviewed by the local news for his act. People love watching humanity at its absolute best, and Ahmed was a perfect example of it. Of course, he remained humble the whole time. He was simply a good guy doing a good deed.

For Ahmed, it was just another day on the job taking care of guests. He said it perfectly with these words: "We all need a little help now and then." We might not expect much from a restaurant worker like Ahmed, but fortunately he and a few other special individuals are willing to step up and do what's right — especially when they find themselves in a life or death situation.

And a life or death situation can arise anywhere, even in the small town of Salem, Oregon. While Kirk Alexander lived alone in the sleepy town, he managed to strike up quite the rapport with a certain chain restaurant a few miles away. In fact, he'd become a regular fixture at his favorite local spot.

He was absolutely in love with the local Domino's! So much so that he placed an order just about every day for the last 10 years. It wasn't just the pizza, either. Kirk enjoyed everything on the menu.

General manager Sarah Fuller, left, said, “He orders every day, every other day. His order pops up on the screen because he orders online. We see it come across the screen and we’re like, ‘Oh, Kirk’s order.'"

It became second nature to expect an order from Kirk at some point every day. Whether it was a small lunch meal or something bigger for dinner, Sarah and her staff always counted on food for Kirk.

Over the decade-spanning orders Kirk placed, he got to know many of the employees on a first-name basis. He was just as appreciative of their service as they were of his constant business.

Kirk was such a valued customer that when he didn't place an order, people noticed. One afternoon, workers realized Kirk hadn't placed an order in 11 days. This was very unusual — the longest he'd ever gone without buying a pie.

Of course, there were several reasons why someone might not order food. Maybe Kirk left town for a while. Maybe he'd started ordering from — gasp — Pizza Hut! One employee voiced a concern that shook his coworkers.

The employee pointed out that Kirk's health wasn't great. Was it possible that something was preventing Kirk from order a pie? Was he in trouble? Dominos's employees needed to know.

And so, even though Kirk never submitted an order, Sarah had one of the drivers visit his home to check up on him. Everyone hoped he was out of town, but on the off chance he was in trouble, they wanted to know.

Tracey Hamblen, the delivery driver, knocked hard several times on the door. The lights and television were on. After several unanswered phone calls, a worried Tracey contacted the police for further assistance.

On the phone, Tracey explained the situation. "I need some help on what to do," she said. "It could be an emergency. This is Domino’s Pizza and we have a customer that usually orders like every night from us. And he hasn’t ordered in 11 days."

The officers who arrived at the home began screaming Kirk's name and knocking aggressively. Eventually, they kicked open the door, and there, sprawled on the ground, was Kirk. The officers called an ambulance.

As Kirk was lying in the back of the ambulance, EMTs quickly discovered his history of detrimental health issues. At the hospital, doctors determined Kirk had suffered a stroke. He was in serious danger if he didn't get help, fast.

Even though the Domino's employees, in their eyes, were simply doing their job, the incident was quickly picked up by The Washington Post, which wanted to celebrate their diligence. Kirk Alexander may not have survived if not for them.

The Domino's employees wanted nothing to do with the praise, feeling it was their job to check up on their loyal customer. However, their story was out of the bag.

Good Morning America even heard about the story and ran a piece about it, which was more than the Domino's staff ever thought would happen. Two of the employees even found their 15 minutes of fame!

General Manager Sarah Fuller and assistant manager Jenny Seiber were both interviewed regarding Kirk's incident. Neither could believe the event landed them on the news, but it wasn't just a televised interview they gave.

The cast of the morning news program also gave the Domino's staff tickets to see the film Captain America: Civil War. They said, "Since you guys are superheroes, we’re gonna send you to Captain America: Civil War."

The officers who responded to the scene also wanted to partake in the praise, and they responded via a Facebook post, saying "Thanks to the quick actions of Mr. Hamblen, Mr. Alexander is in stable condition at the Salem Hospital.”

Kirk Alexander's love of Domino's saved his life, and the staff who prepped his order every day knew something was wrong immediately. Interestingly enough, this wasn't the first time a lifelong Domino's patron found help through their services.