There are a few ways hospitality staff can subtly communicate with customers when their safety and wellbeing is concerned.
From the whole 'ask for Angela' campaign to asking for 'angel shot' as a way for customers to ask bar staff for help if they feel threatened or frightened - it's definitely comforting to know
And it's clearly not just bartenders as one Starbucks barista has also been praised after leaving a 'secret note' on cup to help a young woman out.
Advert
Texas woman, Brandy Selim Roberson, took to Facebook last year to share the story.
She praised the barista for intervening when her 18-year-old daughter was approached by a man she didn’t know while studying by herself at the popular coffee house chain.
Roberson wrote in the caption: "My 18-year-old daughter was at Starbucks, alone, the other night. A man came up to her and started talking to her.
"A barista handed her 'an extra hot chocolate someone forgot to pick up'."
The message on the cup read: "Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup."
"How grateful I am for people who look out for other people!" the post continued.
It added: "Side note: She felt safe and did not remove the lid, but let them know.
"She said the whole team was watching over her the rest of the time she was there."
Roberson then went on to issue a 'thank-you' to the team members at that Starbucks shop for their help.
And people shared their thoughts in the comments - with many praising the barista for their 'very smart' and 'thoughtful' actions.
One person wrote: "That’s so nice. Let’s all be that person that cares and not the one that simply looks the other way. Let’s protect each other, especially the young ones even if we don’t know them."
Another replied: "It's a sad world that we have to think this way... But nice to know someone has your back."
A third person responded: "We all need to pay attention and look out for one another."
"This employee needs a promotion!!!" a fourth user commented, while someone else said: "They deserve the biggest tip ever."
And a final commenter, who added that their daughter often goes to that particular Starbucks location, said: "Happy that there are employees out there going above and beyond."
Barista of the Year or what?
Rhiannon Ingle