An unlikely friendship struck between a buyer and a McDonald’s employee. It began with Raquel Benitah, when she grew to become fascinated with the “soiled soda” pattern on TikTok, which includes mixing soda with flavored syrups and lotions.
This pattern was sparked by Hulu’s “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” She needed to attempt the pattern, although she had by no means watched present.
The 26-year-old Toronto-based content material developer needed to mix a Fairlife protein shake with a Eating regimen Coke, so she drove to her favourite McDonald’s to get one.
As she went by means of the drive-thru, she determined to file the ordering course of. The McDonald’s worker, who was ultimately recognized as Markelya Skelly, 23, took discover of the digital camera when she arrived on the first window.
Recalling how they immediately bonded over the soiled soda pattern, Benitah informed Folks, “She noticed my digital camera and requested, ‘Are you vlogging?’ She had such a constructive perspective, and her vitality was unbelievable.”
Benitah uploaded the video to TikTok after getting her Eating regimen Coke and producing the soiled soda. Though she knew nothing about Skelly on the time, she shared the fantastic second of her connection together with her, and it has since acquired 12.8 million views.
She recalled, “I made a decision to publish the video, and it went viral. Then I did a component two, the place I went to the grocery retailer, purchased her a bunch of snacks, a present card, and the Fairlife protein shake so she might make the soiled soda herself. However once I went again to McDonald’s to search out her, she wasn’t there.”
She continued, “It created a enjoyable story for folks to observe. I went again a 3rd time as a result of I needed to discover her. I went by means of the drive-thru, and there she was — we each freaked out. At that time, the video had hit 6 million views. So we exchanged names, and he or she messaged me on social media. Since then, we’ve developed an attractive friendship.”
Skelly additionally disclosed that earlier than formally connecting with Benitah, she first got here throughout the viral video when a piece pal who came upon it on the platform despatched it to her. Inside an hour of receiving it, the video blew up, and her supervisor and company reached out to her.
She defined that earlier than assembly Benitah on the drive-thru, she had been in a “crummy” temper. However after speaking to Benitah, her spirits have been immediately lifted for the remainder of the day. Since then, Skelly and Benitah’s interactions have included going out to lunch and planning to attend the native Christmas market collectively.
“It has been so enjoyable and so lovely,” Skelly expressed. “I’m really so excited for our subsequent hangout, which is quickly. It’s going to be enjoyable. We’re simply two women in our 20s.”
“My mother at all times tells me that simply being pleasant to somebody can change your life or simply being pleasant may be the variations in somebody’s day,” she added.
Benitah, alternatively, stated that it has been harder for her to satisfy new pals as she has gotten older, however she is grateful for this wonderful bond with somebody she in all probability wouldn’t have met in any other case.
She remarked, “Quite a lot of instances, folks routinely have a destructive affiliation with being filmed or a digital camera, which I completely perceive. However simply Markelya flipping the state of affairs into one thing so constructive and having a bouncy, enjoyable vitality — I might inform she was round my age, in her 20s, and we simply matched one another’s vibe. I don’t actually know methods to clarify it.”
“It’s been actually, actually enjoyable to only join together with her and her vitality and everybody can see it from the video. She’s similar to a vivid mild and he or she comes off very shy however she has such a enjoyable character and it’s been simply actually nice.”
