Taco Villa employee lifts spirits with positive messages on customers’ cups

Brandy Yell was having a bad day, but all that changed when she pulled up to the drive thru of a Taco Villa restaurant on Andrews Highway in Midland.

After receiving her order, Yell noticed an encouraging message handwritten on the lid of her cup.  Some time later, Yell returned to the Taco Villa. Yet again, an encouraging message was written on her cup. This one read, “Have a blessed night.”

The messages, it turns out, come from a particularly hard-working employee named TJ.

Yell, an Odessa resident and blogger, posted about her experience with TJ’s messages on social media. The post drew commenters with similar experiences with TJ at the Taco Villa. Yell’s post was widely shared, leading to a news story (YourBasin.com). When Telemundo 20 reporter Patsy Casas reported the story on Facebook, customer Alma Diaz posted a photo in the comments section. The photo featured a Taco Villa cup with a message from TJ, “I hope you have a great day.”

“He has made my day several times!!! Love him!!,” said another commenter.

According to YourBasin.com, TJ’s messages are as simple as “Drive safe,” but the positivity can be powerful.

“It’s like he knows what people need,” Diaz wrote. “Our world is full of stress, hate, and so much negativity — one small sentence like this and it turned my whole day around.”