Alpaca at Starbucks Drive Thru Prompts Major Reactions From Baristas

Chris Malone Méndez
·2 min read
3

Dog owners sometimes take their furry friends to Starbucks to pick up a Puppucino for their pets. And while the cup of whipped cream is designed for dogs, that doesn't mean a dog has to be the one that eats it.

Kerri Harting is the proud owner of an alpaca named Oliver. She runs Eagle Eye Farm in River Falls, WI where sweet alpacas like Oliver roam freely. Harting's beloved animals sometimes accompany her on outings, which she documents on Eagle Eye's TikTok account. In one viral video, Starbucks workers got quite the surprise when she pulled up to the drive thru with Oliver in tow.

"I'd like a pup cup from my alpaca, please," Harting politely told the worker through the drive thru speaker. As she placed the order and drove up to the window to pick it up, Oliver sat bleating in her lap. When she got the window, they were greeted by a crowd of Starbucks baristas and other workers excited to see the farm animal up close and personal.

Brianna, the employee who handed Oliver the pup cup, shared her joy in the video's comments. "I am the barista handing out the pup cup at the window," she wrote. "This absolutely MADE my day, I still talk about this happening."

She shared her point of view during the encounter in her own video, from the time mom and alpaca pulled up to the drive thru menu to when she handed over the whipped cream cup at the window. She went on to describe how she and her fellow workers reacted when they heard Oliver was there.

"Yes, the second she said 'alpaca' it was announced very loudly to everyone and everyone instantly said 'TELL ME WHEN THEY ARE COMING TO THE WINDOW,'" she recounted. "Yes, everyone dropped everything to come look at the alpaca and take videos and pictures because who wouldn't?"

"Yes, this made the entire team's day! And it's been brought up every day since," she said. She plugged Eagle Eye Farm and encouraged anyone in the area who was entertained by any of the videos to visit Oliver and his friends in person.

Since he's become a local celebrity, maybe that Starbucks location should rebrand its Puppucino to a 'Pacacino.