He Expected A Quiet Shift Behind The Counter, Until Bruce Willis Walked In And Hit Him With A Challenge He Never Expected
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Working near a luxury resort occasionally brings celebrity encounters nobody could possibly anticipate.
One young barista’s routine closing shift changed when Bruce Willis walked in and ordered two lattes.
His lightning-fast mental arithmetic unexpectedly turned the transaction into an increasingly elaborate cash-and-change challenge.
Yippee-ki-yay, calculator guy.
Bruce Willis gave me a math test
Back in 2009, I was having a lot of family issues at home, so I went to visit my mother’s two sisters in Idaho for a change of scenery.
There’s a resort there, owned at the time by a billionaire who also owned a line of gas stations that use a dinosaur for their logo.
It’s a very high-end resort, drawing some of the nation’s most rich and famous. Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, and many other people of that caliber visited and/or owned vacation homes there.
I liked it so much, I decided to make the move long-term and found an apartment and a job as a baristo in a coffee shop.
His shift started off pretty normal, but soon a notable customer walked in.
It was about 8 p.m., and I remember it being either November or December, mostly because of all the snow.
The shop closed at 9, and I was doing some cleaning ahead of time so I could get out of work at a decent hour.
A man walked in, the ball cap on his head pulled down to cover his eyes, and his head down against the biting wind blowing in from the mountains.
I greeted him, and when he looked up, I recognized him.
I was told to act normal when a celebrity walks in, as they justifiably don’t like being mobbed by fans out here.
He continues with the order and tells the customer his total.
I took his order, which I remember as two small lattes.
He was alone, so I assumed he was in town with his wife and she was either at their vacation home or shopping at one of the many expensive shops there.
The total came to $6.47.
But this barista had a very special trick up his sleeve.
Growing up the son of an accountant with a strong desire—borderline obsessive sometimes—to gain my father’s approval, I learned to do change in my head at lightning speed.
Less than two seconds after seeing the $50 he was about to hand me, I told him his change would be $43.53. He paused, a little smirk on his face.
The celeb found himself impressed by this.
BW: Did you do that in your head?
Me: Yes, sir.Bruce then puts the $50 back in his wallet and pulls out a $20 bill, two $1 bills, and three quarters, totaling $22.75, and asks me what the change is. I tell him $16.47.
Amused, the celeb continues to quiz the barista.
He proceeds to repeat this a few more times with different combinations of cash he has on him.
I don’t know if some combination of fatigue and jet lag put him in a condition where he found my petty math amusing, but he was having fun.
I finally had to end it, since I still had stuff that needed to be done—cleaning the soft-serve machine takes no less than 45 minutes.
But before he wraps it up, he jokingly makes the celeb a deal.
Me: I have to get back to work, so I’ll do one more. If I get it right, you have to tip me!
That last part was a joke, obviously.
He agrees and pulls out $72.45. Before he can move his eyes from the money to mine, I say it’s $65.98.
BW: That’s pretty cool.
Me: …
This stuck with the barista for a long time after that.
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When you’re 19 and Bruce Willis tells you something you take for granted is cool, it tends to leave you speechless.
I made his coffee, gave it to him, and wished him a good night. Before he left, he dropped $20 in the tip jar and told me I earned it.
He was such a cool guy—lots of respect for him.
Now that’s what you call a special skill!
Redditors are sure to get a kick out of this one.
This fellow barista has also served some famous customers.
This skill really is something to be proud of!
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a delivery driver who tried warning his boss the truck needed new brakes and tires, only to find his truck sidelined during their busiest season.
This person also had a pretty awesome interaction with BW.
This barista repeatedly calculated Bruce Willis’ change within seconds before joking that one final correct answer should earn him a tip.
The actor accepted the challenge, praised his unusual talent, and dropped $20 into the jar before leaving.
Turns out defeating Bruce Willis only required basic subtraction and two small lattes.
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