Man throws drink at pregnant fast-food worker, customer steps in to help her in best way possible

Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 6, 2021. It has since been updated.

Feroza Syed was approaching the drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant in suburban Atlanta when she a man throw a large drink at a woman working there. Feroza Syed was shocked and rushed to her side. The man had apparently thrown a drink at the woman because he didn't want ice in his drink. Bryanna, who was six months pregnant, was soaked and choking back tears. Feroza Syed let the man know what she thought of him. "Y’all know I was screaming! You a rude MF! What the f*#%!!! That was a big a$$ man and one day my lil ass is gonna get pulled together right quick. I need to be better but when I see rude unnecessary shit like that I just go awf," she wrote. Syed gave a $20 tip and offered to call the cops on the man for her. 

As Feroza Syed headed home, she wanted to do more to help Bryanna. She wrote a post detailing the incident on Facebook and the post blew up. When she saw the reaction, she realized she could use it to help Bryanna. She asked her friends and followers if they could pitch in "$5 or (whatever)," so she could hand it over to Bryanna. Feroza Syed gave her followers the details of her Venmo and cash app. Syed herself was surprised by the reaction from her friends and followers, having crossed $1,000. "We’re about to make this woman cry in a different way," wrote Syed.  

After collecting money, Feroza Syed tried contacting Bryanna through the restaurant and her manager passed on the message, before eventually connecting. "(Feroza) was like ...'I have a surprise for you and I really want to give it to you in person' so I sent her my address," said Bryanna, reported CNN. "She gave me the envelope and I couldn't do nothing but cry because I wasn't expecting that." The envelope contained $1,700 in donations. "A large portion of the donations were $5, $10, $20, and that totaled up to a large sum of money," said Syed, before adding that all she wanted to do was "put a smile on her face and show her not all humans are horrible."

"When I handed her the money she started crying, saying she needed it badly. She’s so sweet, has a good head on her shoulders," wrote Syed after meeting her. Syed then went one step further and posted Bryanna's Cash App handle, so people could directly donate to her and also helped set up an online baby registry at Target. "She has been a blessing. There are still some good people out there," said Bryanna. Syed doesn't want any credit, adding, "I just saw somebody being mistreated and I didn't like what I saw." She believes doing the right thing inspires others to do the same as well. "What I keep learning again and again and again is when you see something like this or any situation where someone is being mistreated or harmed ... all it takes is one person to change the narrative," said Syed.

Essential workers have risked their own lives during the pandemic and the least you can do is be kind to them. "When we talk about how to give back to our essential workers who put their lives on the line feeding, housing, shopping, and providing health care for us — remember that anyone can do what I did," wrote Syed. The responses to Syed's act of kindness have evoked positive responses on her page. "I’d just like to take a moment to say that Atlanta, Georgia, and the world is a better place with you in it Feroza. I don’t think there’s a single day that goes by that you don’t do something that inspires me to try and do more good for others. So thank you, truly, for being such a wonderful person. We are all fortunate to have you in our lives," wrote Drew West.