There’s a whole latte love in this South Dakota coffeehouse.
Dishwasher Alex Rust, 24, received a new e-bike from his co-workers after he commuted at least four miles to Josiah’s Coffeehouse, Cafe & Bakery in Sioux Falls year-round on his bicycle for over six years.
The dedicated employee normally wakes up around 2 a.m. and cycles to work at 4 a.m. to arrive early because he enjoys being at work, even though sometimes his shift doesn’t even begin until 8 a.m., according to Dakota News Now.
He’s been working paycheck-to-paycheck to repair his bike while other obstacles prevented him from upgrading his bike, the restaurant said.
Rust’s co-workers stepped in and surprised him with a brand-new e-bike in the middle of his shift. The employees also opened a savings account for Rust at a local bank.
“We love you and we want you to be safe and this is the best way for us to make sure you can be safe,” Josiah’s marketing manager Marissa Schroeder told Rust in a video uploaded to the cafe’s Facebook page.
The emotional gift reveal left Rust speechless.
Rust’s boss had sent out a group text to employees about buying Rust a new e-bike when the worker revealed his dangerous 45 – 60-minute when he’d face issues with his bike or was involved in an accident.
“He’s never been the type to be, like, ‘I can’t work. This is happening to me. I can’t do this.’ He’s just been the type to get in, get through his shift, work his butt off, and then go home,” Schroeder told the outlet
“Other days, there were visible injuries, you know, cuts, bruises,” Schroeder added. “We would ask him what happened (and he’d say), ‘Well, I was hit by a car or a truck.’”
More recently, the back tire kept popping on his bike, which was not electric, and one time he ended up just walking to work with the broken two-wheeler.
Those efforts raised $765 in just a day and a half. The money was more than enough to cover purchasing his new bike.
His commute to work will now only be 15-20 minutes.
“I don’t have to get up to work at two in the morning anymore,” Rust said.
“I think, hopefully, now he understands that we’re family, which means that families help out each other when we have our problems,” Schroeder shared with the outlet.
This act of kindness is better than the disheartening “thank you” a Burger King employee received in 2022.
Kevin Ford, a cook for the fast food chain, went viral for receiving only a backpack, movie ticket, Starbucks cup and candy after never missing a day of work in 27 years.
His daughter created a GoFundMe that raised over $466,000, which is well over the initial goal of $200.
Ford plans to use the money to open a food truck with his daughter. He already purchased the kitchen-on-wheels and plans to officially retire from Burger King on his 30th anniversary in May 2025.