Barista gets €90,000 ‘tip’ after refusing to serve customer without a face mask
Different coronavirus rules apply around the world. At the Starbucks in the American city of San Diego, both customers and baristas are required to wear a face mask. When barista Lenin Gutierrez pointed this out to a customer, she got angry. But things turned out exceptionally well for him.
Before Gutierrez had even had the chance to properly explain the coronavirus rules, the young woman had reportedly already started swearing at him. She, Amber Lynn Gilles, thought it was ridiculous that Gutierrez would not serve her because she did not have a face mask with her, and publicly shamed him—with a photo—on Facebook.
Police
Alongside a photo she took of him, she wrote: ‘Meet Lenen from Starbucks. He refused to serve me because I was not wearing a mask. Next time I’ll get the police involved and bring a medical exemption.’
But contrary to what Gilles had probably expected, people overwhelmingly took Gutierrez’s side. Some even wanted to visit the Starbucks in question to tip him. But the US is large, and by no means did everyone have the opportunity to ‘just’ stop by.
Crowdfunding a tip
26-year-old Matt Cowan came up with a solution: he started a GoFundMe page for Gutierrez. Cowan does not know Gutierrez, but he simply felt it was awful that the woman had behaved so aggressively toward him while he was only trying to do the right thing.
And many others felt the same, because donations soon started pouring in. The initial goal was $1,000. But by now, the total has already reached $102,241.
Speechless
Gutierrez is speechless. “I don’t know how to properly put into words how grateful and blessed I feel for this opportunity everyone has given me,” he says. In a video, he shares his side of the story.
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