Coffee lover Libby May Fitzpatrick headed to her local Starbucks drive-thru to take part in a viral social media trend, and the end result left her totally delighted
Starbucks customers have shared their delight after participating in a quirky viral craze just in time for autumn. The American coffee giant is famous for its beloved seasonal offerings including Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Spice Caramel Macchiato and Toffee Apple Muffin as the weather starts to turn.
And in 2025, fans have pushed the Halloween preparations even further, with coffee lovers trying a seasonal “hack” to enjoy their go-to beverages in a rather unique way. One customer, Libby May Fitzpatrick, turned to TikTok to share her peculiar request as she navigated her local Starbucks drive-thru. “We’re going to Starbucks to actually ask them to fill up a pumpkin… I’m scared!” she began in a video. “Let’s see if they will do it.”
Upon reaching the first window, Libby May went ahead to share her request with a staff member.
“It’s a bit of an unusual one,” she explained. “I’ve got a pumpkin and I wondered if you could fill it with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and some cream please.”
The employee was more than willing to help, quickly taking her pumpkin to prepare the request. “Absolutely… I’m all about the random here at Starbucks,” he joked, before enquiring whether Libby May would prefer her drink to be served “ice or hot.”
After sharing her choice, the barista soon came back to deliver the beverage – complete with a straw and whipped cream oozing from the top of the pumpkin.
“Today is the best day ever,” Libby May declared as she took a sip. “This is the most autumnal drink, just look at that.”
In the US, someone else attempted to join in on the trend but didn’t have quite the same luck. “Apparently you can order your drink in a pumpkin and all you have to do is say the secret word,” Shivani Khosla explained in her own clip.
After buying a pumpkin from a local store, she returned home to hollow it out before heading back into town to Starbucks.
Craftily concealing her pumpkin under her top, Shivani asked the staff if they could serve her drink in her “own cup” – which she revealed was the “secret wording”. After consulting with her manager, however, a Starbucks employee came back to inform Shivani that she would need to transfer the coffee from a standard cup into her pumpkin herself.
“I saw a TikTok trend so thought I’d try and get mine filled,” she explained to the staff member. “They said they can’t fill it though, which is fair. I’ll fill it myself though and take it on the underground and see if people stare at me.”
Shivani concluded: “It actually tastes so good. There’s a lot more flavour from the pumpkin – and no-one in New York batted an eyelid.”
In response to Libby May’s post, hundreds of TikTok users heaped praise on the Starbucks employee who served her. “We need more people like this guy in the world,” one user commented. “What a happy, down to earth, smiley man. Just genuinely good spirits.”
Another chipped in: “Best customer service ever! What a legend!” And a third echoed the sentiment, saying: “That’s what customer services is all about, he needs a pay rise!”
