Starbucks Employee Who Rejected Customer Without Mask Raises 100 Million Won in Donations

'GoFundMe' Donations Surpass 100 Million Won in One Week

A Starbucks employee in the United States refused service to a customer who was not wearing a mask and was insulted, which was revealed through social media, leading to over 100 million won in donations from thousands of people. Photo by GoFundMe homepage capture.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A Starbucks employee in the United States refused service to a customer who was not wearing a mask and was subsequently insulted, a fact that became known through social networking services (SNS), leading to over 10 million won in donations from thousands of people.

On the 29th, US CNN and other media reported that the online fundraising site GoFundMe for Lenin Gutierrez (24), a Starbucks employee in San Diego, California, had reached about $90,000 (approximately 10.18 million won) within a week.

The donations reached $20,000 just two days after the campaign started and had grown to $80,000 by the day before, with the possibility of increasing further.

The fundraising campaign began after Amber Lynn Gilles, who was asked by Gutierrez to wear a mask, posted a critical message about him on Facebook.

On the 23rd, a day after visiting Starbucks, Gilles posted on Facebook with a photo of Gutierrez, saying, "Lenin, who works at Starbucks, refused to serve me because I wasn't wearing a mask. Next time, I will call the police and bring a health certificate."

It was reported that Gilles hurled all kinds of insults at Gutierrez after being asked to wear a mask.

However, netizens who saw Gilles' post sided with Gutierrez. Some even said they wanted to visit the cafe to give donations to Gutierrez.

One netizen, Matt Kwon (26), started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe titled "Fundraising for Lenin who stood up to a customer."

Kwon explained that he was angry to see someone doing the right thing being bullied and took the lead in raising funds.

He added, "(Lenin) simply asked people to wear masks for the safety of himself and those around him," and "He even told them how to buy Starbucks coffee without wearing a mask."

On the 24th (local time), Guti?rrez expressed gratitude to supporters through Facebook. Photo by Lenin Guti?rrez, Facebook capture.

On the 24th, Gutierrez posted a thank-you video on Facebook, stating that part of the donations would be used to pursue his dream of becoming a dancer, and some of the remaining funds would be donated to a civic organization in San Diego.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.