📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Starbucks Barista Refuses to Serve Customer Not Wearing a Face Mask; Social Media Users Support Him With Tip of Almost $100,000 The woman vented on Facebook, but people raised funds for the employee instead.

By Entrepreneur Staff

entrepreneur daily
Getty Images/Justin Sullivan

The use of face masks has become a basic aspect in our daily life, but there are still some skeptics who decide not to use them. Such is the case of a woman who visited a Starbucks in San Diego, whose service was denied for not wearing the mask.

The barista, Lenin Gutiérrez, refused to attend to Amber Lynn Gilles, as announced by the enraged customer in a Facebook post. However, thousands of users were outraged by Amber's attitude. She replied that "they do not scare or bother her," called them "losers" and added that "they had nothing better to do."

"Meet Lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me because I'm not wearing a mask," reads Gilles' post, which was accompanied by a photograph of the young man. "Next time I will wait for the police and I will bring a medical exception."

Related: Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Diageo Join Major Companies Pausing or Pulling Back on Facebook and Social Media Ads

From there, a GoFundMe initiative was born that has raised (so far) more than $94,000 in tips for the barista, to which he responded with a moving video saying that he will use it to fulfill his dream of becoming a dancer and teaching others to dance.

In San Diego County, it was decreed that "everyone must wear face covers if they are inside or queuing to enter any closed public space."

Entrepreneur Staff

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor

For more than 30 years, Entrepreneur has set the course for success for millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. We'll teach you the secrets of the winners and give you exactly what you need to lay the groundwork for success.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

I Wish I Knew These Four Things Before Starting My Own Business

Starting a business is hard work to say the least. These are four lessons I wish someone had shared with me before going solo, so I'm here to share them with you.

Travel

Stay Prepared on the Road with This $80 Tire Inflator

Take a step to make business travel a bit safer.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Devices

Optimize Your Remote Workflow with Maximum Connectivity for Just $55

Stay connected as you work from home or anywhere in the world with this versatile stand with eight ports and 5Gbps data transfer speeds.

Thought Leaders

Need More Confidence? These 10 Bestselling Books Will Help Improve Your Self-Esteem

Self-esteem can be hard to come by and even harder to maintain. To give yourself a boost, try these authors' words of wisdom.

Devices

Add Some Life to the Office with $60 off This Bluetooth Speaker

This TREBLAB speaker provides 360-degree HD sound and high-powered connectivity.