'Free Coffee for Active Duty Soldiers' Namyangju Cafe
"Discharged 50 Years Ago" "Son is a Soldier"... Requests for Free Coffee
Earlier this year, a cafe owner who gained attention for offering free coffee to active-duty soldiers shared episodes and updates related to this policy.
Recently, a post titled "Free Coffee for Active-Duty Soldiers!" was uploaded on the online community 'BobaeDream.' The author, Mr. A, introduced himself by saying, "I run a small dessert cafe in Namyangju." He also posted a photo of a sign inside the store that read, "Proud active-duty Republic of Korea Armed Forces soldiers receive coffee for free!" and shared comments from customers who had visited the cafe.
A dessert cafe in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, providing free coffee to active-duty military personnel [Image source: Internet community 'BobaeDream' capture]
Customers who saw the free coffee sign for soldiers reportedly said things like, "I was discharged 50 years ago, so why don’t I get any?", "My son is a soldier, so give me some," and "I’m a civilian but I saw the free coffee sign?can I get free bread instead? I’ll eat it here," Mr. A complained. He added, "The soldiers themselves are shy and don’t even ask properly," and said, "Although I feel stressed and want to remove the sign, seeing soldiers’ sons and daughters enjoy their time here makes me happy and all past troubles fade away."
He also said, "If people see only the word ‘free’ on the sign and ask why only soldiers get it and not them, then we might as well become a free meal service," implying that such incidents happen frequently. Netizens who read the post praised Mr. A with comments like, "That’s admirable," "I run a chicken restaurant and offer wing upgrades and drinks to soldiers but feel sorry I can’t give them for free," "This place is definitely recommended," and "I want to visit the cafe." Some even targeted troublesome customers with remarks such as, "They should just reenlist and proudly get a free drink," and "Let’s all enlist now and get used to the short hair."
Earlier in January, Mr. A also posted a story titled "Two Months of Free Coffee for Soldiers." At that time, he said, "After my son enlisted, every soldier I see feels like my own son, so I’ve been offering free coffee for two months." He shared heartwarming episodes in that post. He wrote, "I once saw seven soldiers who seemed to notice the free sign at the door but didn’t come in, so I ran out to bring them in and served them. When I gave them some cookies, they almost cried." He added, "The young soldiers were so happy and cute."
He also recalled a soldier who visited the cafe with his girlfriend. He said, "I told him, ‘Soldiers get free coffee, and if you’re getting married, your girlfriend is also considered a soldier’s family member, so she can get free coffee too.’ The soldier said, ‘We’re getting married,’ so I gave free coffee to the girlfriend as well, thinking of her as part of the soldier’s family."
However, even then, there were troublesome customers who abused the free coffee policy. Mr. A said, "Two men in their 50s or 60s, heavily drunk, claimed, ‘I was a soldier too,’ and asked for free coffee. When I explained that free coffee is only for those currently serving, they cursed me, saying, ‘You shouldn’t run a business like this in the neighborhood,’ and left. That day, I almost tore down the ‘free’ sign but held back," he confessed. He added, "Although I haven’t been able to give out much free coffee yet, I plan to continue offering free coffee to soldiers even after my son is discharged."
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