Man Asks Starbucks Workers To Make A Coffee That Tastes Like 'Lana Del Rey'
Their reactions suggest that this might not have been the most convenient request.
TikTok A man in Bulgaria recently posted a TikTok video highlighting his interaction with Starbucks workers after asking for a coffee that tastes like Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey, the American singer-songwriter behind the hit song “Summertime Sadness,” is famous for her melancholy sound — what she isn’t famous for, however, is having her own coffee flavor at Starbucks.
Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock
The man was criticized for asking Starbucks workers to make a coffee that tastes like ‘Lana Del Rey.’
Kirill, also known by his stage name Orphy, is a singer from Ukraine who frequently posts videos to his TikTok showing off his singing voice while singing in a shopping square. In this video, posted two days ago on May 22, 2023, Kirill decided to mix up his formula by popping into a local Starbucks to ask the baristas for a specific drink.
“I need a coffee that tastes like Lana Del Rey,” he walks in and asks the woman working the register. Immediately, her eyes light up (in the worst way), and she rolls her eyes at the strange request. Asking her coworker to come over and figure this out with her, Kirill continues.
“Maybe with — cinnamon,” he says, singing the last bit before singing some more. “Or — cherries in wine. Lana Del Rey.” These are references to the songs “Cinnamon Girl” and “Cherry,” both by Lana Del Rey.
The workers look demoralized as they likely have to deal with awful customers or strange requests every single day — this would be one that they eventually tally up as there is no “Lana Del Rey” drink at Starbucks.
“Yeah we know Lana Del Rey, but we don’t know how to…” the woman working the cash register replies before the two women pool their minds together to figure out what the drink would be.
Kirill decided to help them by saying they could make something ‘like Lana.’
The hint was in the singing, and so the woman who came to help the original cashier said “We can make coffee with cinnamon and raspberry flavor,” opting for raspberry since they probably didn’t have any cherry syrup at the time.
Happy with this idea, Kirill goes “yes, yes, yes,” before asking what sizes they have. “Not Grande, Del Rey,” he says, referencing another famous American pop star Ariana Grande.
After paying for the drink, the woman behind the register compliments Kirill’s singing, claiming that she’s seen him sing in the square before, but their conversation is cut short by a cut to Kirill sitting by the window doing some more singing. “Cinnamon in my teeth,” he sings, before receiving his drink and trying it for the camera.
Photo: TikTok
“It’s Lana Del Rey,” he says, laughing. “It’s so Lana Del Rey vinyl.” Unsure what that means for sure, but people in the comments weren’t happy about Kirill’s behavior.
One person asked, “What's wrong with you?” Another person wrote, “I’d quit on the spot,” while a third mentioned how done with their jobs the baristas looked.
According to an ongoing CareerExplorer survey, baristas rank among the bottom 25% of careers in terms of job satisfaction. I’m sure if I had to deal with rude customers all of the time, I would feel the same way, but at least Kirill was nice about it!
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.