Starbucks Worker's Secret Message On Customer's Coffee Cup Divides Internet

A flirty secret message sent by a Starbucks employee to a coffee shop customer has got people talking, but for all the wrong reasons.

Written in black marker on the side of the cup alongside an arrow, the worker directs the drinker to a "secret message" located at the base of the cardboard container.

On closer inspection, it appears where once the cup included the warning "Careful, the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot" the barista has now blocked out several of the words from the sentence so that it now reads: "Careful, you're extremely hot."

The purported message appeared in a picture shared to the MadeMeSmile subreddit Reddit by Next-Caterpiller-393, where it has racked up more than 42,000 upvotes in less than 24 hours.

Despite the post proving popular, its contents have proven divisive, with many unsure whether the message oversteps personal boundaries.

The message's contents are of particular concern given the ongoing debate around the prevalence of sexual harassment in everyday society.

A 2018 study by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment highlighted how big a concern it is, with 81 percent of women polled and 43 percent of men saying they had experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime.

In this context, many were unsure as to whether the message on the Starbucks cup represented a sweet gesture or an example of unwanted romantic attention in an everyday situation.

Moondogmk3 said that, depending on the context, the message "either means you're going back in a few hours or never again."

"This person was at work," 20mins2theRockies wrote. "Hitting on customers at work is typically a big no-no." SuperRoby disagreed though. "If the barista didn't do anything more than the message on the cup, I wouldn't feel too scared or creeped out, maybe a little embarrassed," they wrote. "If they don't feel comfortable, changing places is most likely an option."

"I've been hit on in a similar fashion by people I don't find attractive," GuiltyBystander chimed in with. "I wouldn't consider it sexual harassment."

Eerawai, meanwhile, shared their own experience, highlighting how this kind of situation can escalate. They wrote: "I had a coffee shop that was in the entrance to a building where I worked, and one of the baristas started flirting with me, but kept doing it and getting worse to a creepy point. "It was really awkward because I had to keep walking past every day to get to the lift and have to see him, or bosses would ask me to just run downstairs and get them a coffee."

Another user, posting as Cheap Drinks, offered a more controversial viewpoint on the subject, claiming it ultimately comes down to looks.

"Say some short, fat, ugly balding guy with janky teeth gave a hot girl this starbucks cup and winked at her, she'd probably find it very creepy, feel uncomfortable and consider complaining to management," they wrote.

"Swap out that guy for a tall conventionally attractive dude that she herself found attractive and there would be a much higher chance that she'd be very happy about getting that cup."

Maxk1236 wasn't convinced though."It's clearly very situational, but whether you come off as creepy seems to be based more on if you're charming/got game, vs actually creepy from what I've seen," they said.

Away from that debate, meanwhile, Sexysaurusrocks highlighted another entirely valid, if slightly tongue-in-cheek issue with the message. "It is sweet," they commented. "But on the hypothetical that you did get burned by the hot beverage, you would in theory have grounds to sue and likely win."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment.

The posting comes hot on the heels of similar viral stories highlighting how the issue of sexual harassment remains a serious concern both on social media and the wider world.

One woman, for example, recently garnered attention online after sharing a video of her unsettling encounter with a Rideshare driver.

In another instance, a female student earned the backing of the internet after detailing how she was forced to take action against one of her male counterparts following a series of inappropriate incidents.