A Barista, Fed Up with Rude Customers, Places a Brilliant Sign Outside of His Coffee Shop

Kelsey Straeter : Sep 30, 2016
Faithit.com

As it turns out, the sign was intended to be a joke, and nobody really ended up getting upcharged for their lack of politeness, but store owner Olivia Byrd does say she's noticed that "please," "hello" and "thank you" are buzzwords that are now flying out of her customers' mouths much more frequently now.

[Faithit.com] In too big of a hurry to say "please" during your morning rush to grab a cup of joe? (Photo Credit: Faithit.com)

Well, one quirky coffee shop in the Roanoke Valley is about to make you pay for it.

Austin Simms, a barista at CUPS Coffee and Tea, had the bright idea to set a clever sign outside of the shop in order to inspire customers to step up the game on their manners.

How might you accomplish such a task? Well with one simple but crazy creative Coca-Cola sandwich board, Austin has attracted the attention of millions of people around the globe:

It reads:

• "One small coffee"
• $5.00


• "One small coffee, please"
• $3.00


• "Hello, I'd like one small coffee please."
• $1.75

Austin was just trying to humorously ignite a passion in his customers to be kind, but he had no idea the message would spread like wildfire. (Photo Credit: Faithit.com)

An image of the sign exploded on Reddit and Imgur, and within days, reporters from all over were knocking at the door to have a word with the barista who dared to make a difference. The story was even published in a newspaper in England the very next day!

"I decided because I need to solve all the injustices of the world to start charging more for people who didn't take the time to say hello and connect and realize we're all people behind the counter," said Austin.

As it turns out, the sign was intended to be a joke, and nobody really ended up getting upcharged for their lack of politeness, but store owner Olivia Byrd does say she's noticed that "please," "hello" and "thank you" are buzzwords that are now flying out of her customers' mouths much more frequently now.

Kudos to Austin for taking his barista skills to the next level by whipping up a cup of kindness that is now inspiring millions to connect—and more importantly, to treat one another as human.

Faithit.com