Starbucks Barista Moved to Tears by Act of Kindness in Viral TikTok Video

Small acts of kindness can sometimes make a greater difference than we’ll ever know. But occasionally, we actually get to see the positive effect we have on the lives of those around us. One TikTok user experienced this first hand when they performed a random act of kindness for a Starbucks barista and brightened the employee’s entire outlook on life in a matter of minutes.

TikTok user Charlie Rocket posted a clip of the heartwarming exchange, and the video quickly went viral, accumulating more than 36 million views since it was first posted. On screen, another TikTok user named Perri pulls up to the Starbucks drive-thru with her friend. And rather than simply putting in their coffee orders and moving on, the two women decide to inquire about their server’s dreams and struggles in life.

In response, the Starbucks barista—whose name tag reads “Manny”— reveals that he is hoping to buy a car, a dream that will cost about $1,000. But he then goes on to explain that he also struggles with depression. After listening to his story, the two girls tell Manny that they “might see [him] around.” Then, the video then cuts to several shots of them pulling out of the drive-thru and heading to the store to put together a special surprise for Manny.

While there, the women purchase roses and a small wooden box. But it isn’t until they return to their car that Perri reveals that they’re going to surprise Manny with $1,000 to purchase a car of his own. She sneakily tucks the money into the decorated wooden box along with a tiny toy car before heading back through the Starbucks drive-thru to give the barista his gift.

@charlie This barista has no idea his entire life is about to change in 24 hours…❤️🥺 #fypp #starbucks #kindnessisfree ♬ Lights Are On – Tom Rosenthal

“We were really inspired by your story…We wanted to get you a little something,” Perri tells Manny before handing him the bouquet of flowers they bought.

“Thank you so much. I’ve never gotten flowers before.” Manny says with a touched smile on his face. And his surprise only gets bigger as they hand him the rest of his gift. He eagerly opens the box with the tiny toy car, and the small smile on his face instantly turns to tears of gratitude when he realizes that there’s also $1,000 hidden inside.

“This morning, I actually had suicidal thoughts…and I just didn’t feel like waking up,” Manny says with tears still running down his cheeks. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re so loved,” the kindhearted girl responds. “The light will shine on your face again.”

In addition to the $1,000 gift, the generous women also started a campaign to help Manny raise the rest of the money he needs to buy a good car. The fund started with a goal of $15,000. But by the time the fundraiser ended, they had more than doubled that target amount with $38,572 raised in total. People in the comments were incredibly touched by the life-changing act of kindness, with many sharing that they were “moved to tears” by the exchange. Several even shared their own struggles with mental health in order to show solidarity with the brave Starbucks barista.

But it’s almost certain that no one was more touched by the gift than Manny. Though he was dealing with his own mental health struggles, the resilient Starbucks barista still decided to show up to work and perform his duties. And his efforts were rewarded by a random act of kindness that he never could have imagined would come his way. Scroll down to see the inspiring video in its entirety…and you just might need to have a couple of tissues handy as well.