The Sweet Surprise A Starbucks Barista Gave Customers

For some, morning coffee is just a routine; it's something to get them through the day's early hours or their work day. There are those for whom coffee is a must-have for its caffeine content, but for many others, it's a lifestyle, a social outing, and a respite that they enjoy whenever they find the time to take a moment from their busy days.

USA Today reports that over 4 million coffees are sold at the chain in the United States every single day (via Reference.com). Recently, one Starbucks barista decided to do something sweet for their customers.

There have been a lot of negative reports lately about overworked Starbucks workers who've been mistreated by customers or those that lost jobs during the pandemic or due to the 16 stores that, according to Starbucks, closed down recently for safety reasons. Sometimes, out of all that negativity comes something positive. It can be something as simple as a smiley face drawn on a coffee cup sleeve to brighten someone's day or in this case, something even cuter.

The Reddit universe was excited to see these little additions to Starbucks coffee. Reddit user babsons recently posted this image of the various cats they'd drawn on coffee cup sleeves with the caption "more cats for unsuspecting customers." This isn't the first time customers have found surprise messages or drawings on their takeout orders. There are obviously some very talented people working in the food service industry.

For example, we've often seen workers draw on pizza box lids, sometimes at a customer's request. That service is going above and beyond for most employees, especially during rush hour. However, when a worker does oblige, it's always very much appreciated — not only by the person receiving the pizza but the internet community in general, per Reddit.

In regards to these personalized coffee cup sleeves, Redditor babsons told Mashed: "I like cats. I own like 5 cats. My coworkers like cats too so it motivated me more to draw cats." Replying to the post, one user excitedly concurred, "I would do a happy dance if I got one of these!! And I'm a dog person. They're just SO cute!!!"

One thing is for certain: there's something inspiring about a personal drawing or message on our takeaway items that isn't the same as if it was a permanent design printed on the cup — no matter how cute it might be. As one Reddit user put it: "These are day makers."