The CUPS Coffee & Tea in Roanoke, VA, is a much-loved establishment where everyone in town goes to get their daily fix of caffeine.
Even though their coffee has always tasted great, the coffee shop started to gain fame only recently when barista Austin Simms did something unthinkable.
Every day, Austin became so fed up with rude customers who did not have any manners. Even when he smiled and greeted them every single day, they did not seem to care or change their behaviors. That’s when he decided that he needed to do something on behalf of those who work to serve their customers.
So he wrote up this sign:
Austin knew that it’s possible that customers just aren’t awake enough yet to be fully functioning, but try to put yourself in his shoes.
Every morning, he has to deal with a bunch of cranky people who need coffee…and who seem to have forgotten that it’s a person behind the counter and not a robot!
A day after Austin wrote up the sign, a picture of it went viral. It appeared on newspapers and attracted a bunch more news cameras to the shop.
At first, Austin was pretty overwhelmed by the attention, but now he is happy to be helping spread this idea: “Don’t be a jerk to those who serve you!”
What do you think about Austin’s special sign? Do you think the sign was too much? Or do you think it was a clever way to remind people to be nice to each other?