By Camillia Nazanin
ORLANDO, FL— Mild-mannered barista Kenneth Richards has become a local hero following his encounter with a customer who struggled to pronounce “cafe au lait.”
Our reporters followed up with Richards, who was all smiles.
“She was a sweet old lady with a charming Southern accent,” he recalled. “She came up to the counter, we chatted a bit, and then she placed her order. The word ‘cafe’ came out right, but as soon as she followed it with ‘aw,’ I knew something was off.”
Yet even as the customer proceeded with her attempts, Richards kept his cool.
“When she pronounced ‘lait’ as ‘late,’ I was a little surprised, but I wanted to give her time to work it out,” he said. “I let her play around with the words. She didn’t get it in the end, but watching her mind in action was the highlight of my day.”
Onlookers were inspired by the barista’s kindness and virtue.
“I’ll definitely be coming here more often,” said Yasmin Moallemi, a new resident. “Friendly workers are what really makes the coffee good!”
Richards is currently pursuing a degree in public relations and hopes to apply his people-savvy skills to a career in politics.
Camillia Nazanin is a writer and contributor who doesn’t understand why iced coffee needs whipped cream. When she’s not working, you can find her doodling, reminiscing with old-school Nintendo, or looking at the stars.
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