This thirsty brunette was in for a brewed awakening.
After ordering a “surprise me” drink via the Starbucks drive-thru window — hoping a cheery barista on the other side of the intercom would jump at the chance to create a tasty concoction for a risk-taking customer — one coffee guzzler was served the cold shoulder.
“Hi, can I just order a ‘surprise me’ drink?,” asked Michigan content creator Kristen Alk in her epic Starbucks fail. The 23-year-old’s cringeworthy clip has stirred up over 817,000 views on TikTok.
Alk’s request for a “surprise” comes as part of a viral craze known as the #SurpriseMeStarbucks trend. Under the popular hashtag, which has over 827,900 views, latte lovers boldly empower a barista to wow them with a handcrafted specialty drink of his or her choice.
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And although the atypical ask has resulted in pleasantly surprising sips for many TikTokers who’ve taken the gamble, Alk was taken aback by the Starbuckser’s less-than-pleasant reaction.
“A what?,” questioned the seemingly baffled barista, to which Alk restated her order for the surprise drink.
“Yeah, I can get you an ice water….That sounds good!,” the coffee maker retorted while another employee chuckled in the background.
Alk, who, in the closed-caption of the video admitted that she was “nervous” and “shook” by the barista’s reply, said: “No, actually, can you just make me something that sounds good?.”
The barista unenthusiastically agreed and instructed Alk — who claimed to have waited in the drive-thru line for 35 minutes — to drive up to the next window for her drink.
After retrieving an iced coffee from the Starbucks server, Alk admitted that she contemplated not sharing footage of their uncomfortable interaction online.
“I wasn’t gonna post this video…I feel like it was a little bit rude,” she said in the clip.
“I do understand that it might be annoying when people don’t just say what they want to order. But it’s fine,” Alk conceded.
“I just don’t think the barista passed the vibes check.”
And her equally ticked-off TikTok followers agreed.
“Nooooo u should [definetly] email Starbucks cause that’s not acceptable,” penned one peeved viewer.
“I’ve never come across a mean Starbucks employee. I didn’t know they existed,” wrote another shocked commenter.
“It went from Starbucks service to McDonald’s service real quick,” another joked.
A former Starbucks staffer even chimed in, emphasizing how much they “loved” dreaming up “surprise me” mixes for guests.
Others, however, voiced their sympathy for the likely overworked barista in Alk’s video, who assumedly had no interest in participating in the TikTok trend.
“I’m on the barista side. There’s nothing worse than someone coming during [or] right after a rush asking for a surprise,” one commentator commiserated, in part.
“[The barista is] Probably tired of people asking for random things and TikTok drinks. Like, just say what you want,” scolded a separate spectator.
“I don’t think she’s being mean,” said another in support of the Starbucks bartender. “She’s at work and TikTokers [have probably] been doing this all day.”