Barista celebrates milestone first paycheck with coworkers in heartwarming TikTok
A barista in Massachusetts couldn’t wait to receive his first ever paycheck after starting his job — and his reaction was priceless.
Joe Sullivan had been looking forward to working at Bitty & Beau’s in Melrose, Massachusetts ever since his friends started working there, The Boston Globe Reported.
Bitty & Beaus is a nationwide cafe chain that employs people with developmental disabilities, according to its website.
Sullivan, who has Down syndrome, was recorded receiving his first paycheck on Aug. 14. The short TikTok got millions of views.
@bittyandbeauscoffee Joe’s on cloud 9– he got his first paycheck! #fyp #foryou #bittyandbeauscoffee ♬ original sound - Bitty & Beau’s Coffee
“Joe’s on cloud 9 – he got his first paycheck!” the cafe wrote on TikTok.
Sullivan is seen jumping up and down in excitement after he’s handed his paycheck and his co-workers break out in applause. Then, he holds up the paycheck and flashes a thumbs up.
“He was so ecstatic about the whole thing,” Sullivan’s mom told the Boston Globe. “He wasn’t concerned with how much it was for. He loves going there to work.”
Amy and Ben Wright first opened Bitty & Beau’s in Wilmington, North Carolina and now have shops in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Colorado and other states.
“With over 80% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities unemployed nationwide, the Wrights believe that Bitty & Beau’s Coffee creates a path for people with disabilities to become more valued, accepted and included in every community,” the cafe says on its website.
Now, the cafe’s community reaches beyond the counter and into the world of social media. Bitty & Beau’s had over 80,000 followers and millions of likes on TikTok.
“Inclusion. Friendship. Acceptance. Thank you for this,” one person commented on the viral video.
“Congratulations young man, keep going,” another said.
Melrose is a suburb about 10 miles north of Boston.
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