A TikTok video of a barista handing out treats to delighted dogs at a Starbucks drive-thru in Kelowna, BC has gone viral – amassing more than seven million views.
Graham Schonfield explains that a “pup cup” or “puppucino” is a just a cup filled with whipped cream. It’s a company-sanctioned offering and has its own button on the register. It doesn’t cost anything and is popular with dogs and their humans (hence the name). But Schonfield recently handed one to a bunny and has heard of cats and even one duck partaking.
Handing them out to customers is something that he says brings him a lot of joy, and he posted the video on the off chance others would feel the same way.
And they did.
“It makes me really happy. It’s so wonderful to have this video sort of go really, actually viral, knowing that it’s bringing joy to people and they’re smiling,” he says.
“A lot of comments are like, ‘This is better than therapy,’ or, ‘This is my daily dose of serotonin.’ I love that because that’s really what it’s all about. I make $0 from these videos, so it’s really just truly about sharing it and hoping that it brings joy to the world.”
Schonfield says he brings a little more flair to giving them than some. Normally, they’re just handed to the pet owner but he takes the extra step of personally feeding them to the pets.
“I like to give it to them but that’s definitely not standard,” he says.
He works part-time at locations throughout the city, and often stations himself in the drive-thru.
“I love jumping around from store to store and just meeting all the new people and all the new dogs.”
Now that he’s found something that is resonating with people, he says he plans to keep posting the videos.
“Something as simple as watching a dog enjoy a ‘pup cup’ might be that little moment of joy that you need to brighten your day.”