An autistic barista who had a day’s worth of tips stolen from his coffee shop was left “speechless” after his community rallied to his side.
Michael Coyne knows most of the people who get a coffee from his shop, Red White and Brew, and so the theft of his tips felt extremely personal.
Covering the costs of a recent move to a larger location in Warwick, Rhode Island, the shop currently operates at a loss, and the tip jar is Coyne’s only source of free cash flow.
Coyne has autism, ADHD, and bi-polar disorder. He was fostered by Sheila Coyne when he was 10 years old, who later adopted him. Red White and Brew was opened by Sheila with her retirement savings as a way to guarantee her son fulfilling employment, and despite its first year running smack dab into enforced business closures resulting from COVID-19, the shop was a success.
The store employs workers—and sells products made by—people with mental disabilities, and quickly became a part of the community fabric.
“He was really interested in food service, and I thought, what better way to connect him to a community than a coffee shop?” Sheila told The Washington Post’s Sydney Page. “To me, it just made sense.”
When he recently found that the $20 in tips he had accumulated throughout the day had suddenly been snatched, he was deeply upset.
The day after, the chief of the Warwick Police Department came by for a brew, and after hearing about the theft quickly brought over the materials for a new tip jar with a lid. He told the Coynes he would investigate.
Sheila decided to make a Facebook video announcing the theft and warning people to stay alert. Commenters were infuriated to hear someone would do something like it, among whom was the Mayor of Warwick, Frank Picozzi.
“Red White and Brew is a very special place … run by wonderful people,” he wrote in a post sharing Sheila’s video. “I’ve come to know Michael very well and believe me, it’s not the money that’s bothering him, he’s hurt.”
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The following day, people streamed into the coffee shop, each one leaving a tip in the jar—including one woman who left $100 after telling Michael that her own son is autistic, and that the barista inspires her to believe he can have a decent life as a working adult.
The next day was exactly the same. The mayor came too, and soon Michael had been given $900 in tips.
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“That was the most special part,” Sheila said. “It was truly just one person after another, leading with such kindness and grace that it renewed my love for humans and humanity.”
Michael admitted the gesture left him speechless.
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