Neighbors Rally After Coffee Shop's Tips Are Stolen

An infiltrated tip jar at a Rhode Island coffee shop ended up overflowing instead. After co-owner Michael Coyne realized money had been taken from the counter jar at Red, White & Brew in Warwick, he was less upset about the cash than the idea that a "friend" would steal from him, his mother tells WPRI. Coyne, who's autistic and has ADHD and bipolar disorder, opened the shop seven years ago after being turned down for restaurant jobs and now greets every customer as a new pal. Per the Washington Post, the theft took place on March 4, when Coyne noticed that, of the $20 or so he'd earned in tips that day, only $2 remained in the tip jar.

"That really hurt me," said Coyne, reported to be 29 or 30. "I was disappointed for sure." When he and his mother, Sheila Coyne, shared the theft on social media, the community's response was immediate. Customers—including people who didn't even order anything—came by to hand over cash "for Michael," with Sheila likening it to It's a Wonderful Life. In just two days, Coyne pulled in about $900 in tips. The mayor stopped in to show support, and a Warwick police sergeant who's a regular built a lidded tip jar to deter future thefts. Coyne says the outpouring made him "feel whole again." He plans to put some of the money toward car repairs and to find a way to pay the kindness forward.