‘I don’t have time for this, I am a nurse’: Starbucks employee serves coffee. Then customer throws the lid at her
Working at a restaurant or food joint is difficult. This is because you are facing all kinds of customers on a daily basis. While some may be pleasant, others may be erratic. In the case of user @kaathryn.xo, it was the latter that forced her to come to TikTok and share about her experiences with everyone.
On February 14, 2026, TikTok user @kaathryn.xo uploaded a video to her account recounting an incident from her time working at a Starbucks. As it turns out, a woman who had come to order a drink at the Starbucks drive-thru was miffed about the lid she received and decided to throw a tantrum at the server, in this case, Kathryn. She repeatedly insisted on being given a lid where “the straw goes in at the top”, and when she was told that nothing of that sort exists, at least in Starbucks, she threw the lid at Kathryn in rage.
TikTok user @kaathryn.xo is speaking of her experiences working as a Starbucks employee
TikTok user @kaathryn.xo’s video of her narrating an event from her time working as a barista at Starbucks has caught people’s attention. As of this writing, her video has over 200,000 views, approximately 50,000 likes, and hundreds of comments. So what really happened? As mentioned before, a woman basically threw her Starbucks cup lid at Kathryn because it wasn’t the one she wanted. But what were the events that led to this?
This woman had pulled up to the Starbucks drive-thru, ordered an iced drink, and when Kathryn handed it to her, she got mad. “That’s not the right lid,” she said, adding that she wanted the one where the straw goes in from the top. After Kathryn explained that Starbucks did not have any such lids, the customer, who is a nurse, continued to insist that they did. To satisfy her, Kathryn brought out all the lids she had at her disposal and showed them to her, but that only made her more furious. After some back and forth, the customer, in a state of fury, threw the lid at Kathryn and said, “I don’t have time for this, I am a nurse”, and then drove away.
People have a wide range of reactions to Kathryn’s Starbucks story
As mentioned before, TikTok user @kaathryn.xo’s video, in which she narrates an unfavourable experience from her days working at Starbucks, has gained significant traction on the platform. Therefore, quite naturally, people have left comments under her video. Some people had some pretty strong opinions about the customer. User @dreamydazzle15 wrote, “These nurses are never beating the allegations.” User @kkbliveindallas wrote, “When I say it was 9/10 the nurses being the worst ones at starbucks…….”
Many people who possibly worked or work at Starbucks also left comments under Kathryn’s video. User @pinkdrinkfiend wrote, “customers come in all the time and swear they “just got it the other day” when it’s something we haven’t had in like 6 years.” User @ashash121212 wrote, “When I worked at Starbucks I had a receipt thrown in my face because a lady made her 8 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER order her drink while she waited in the car and her daughter ordered the wrong drink.”
People can no longer sit at a Starbucks without buying anything
From January 7, 2025, onwards, Starbucks implemented a rule stating that people who do not make any purchases will not be allowed to hang out in the coffee shops or patio or use the restrooms. This rule was implemented across 10,000 Starbucks-owned locations in North America.
Additionally, Starbucks formulated a code of conduct that lays down expectations for its customers. According to the official website for Starbucks, they are as follows:
- No misuse or disruption of our spaces
- No discrimination or harassment
- No violence or abusive/threatening language
- No consuming outside alcohol
- No smoking/vaping or drug use
- No panhandling
The website also notes that customers who do not follow this Code of Conduct may be asked to leave the store. Additionally, Starbucks may involve law enforcement if a customer does not comply with the Code of Conduct or engages in inappropriate behaviour that warrants such action.
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