An unlikely friendship struck between a customer and a McDonald’s worker. It all started with Raquel Benitah, when she became fascinated with the “dirty soda” trend on TikTok, which involves mixing soda with flavored syrups and creams.
This trend was sparked by Hulu’s “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” She wanted to try the trend, even though she had never watched show.
The 26-year-old Toronto-based content developer wanted to combine a Fairlife protein shake with a Diet Coke, so she drove to her favorite McDonald’s to get one.
As she went through the drive-thru, she decided to record the ordering process. The McDonald’s employee, who was eventually identified as Markelya Skelly, 23, took notice of the camera when she arrived at the first window.
Recalling how they instantly bonded over the dirty soda trend, Benitah told People, “She saw my camera and asked, ‘Are you vlogging?’ She had such a positive attitude, and her energy was incredible.”
Benitah uploaded the video to TikTok after getting her Diet Coke and producing the dirty soda. Although she knew nothing about Skelly at the time, she shared the wonderful moment of her connection with her, and it has since received 12.8 million views.
She recalled, “I decided to post the video, and it went viral. Then I did a part two, where I went to the grocery store, bought her a bunch of snacks, a gift card, and the Fairlife protein shake so she could make the dirty soda herself. But when I went back to McDonald’s to find her, she wasn’t there.”
She continued, “It created a fun story for people to follow. I went back a third time because I had to find her. I went through the drive-thru, and there she was — we both freaked out. At that point, the video had hit 6 million views. So we exchanged names, and she messaged me on social media. Since then, we’ve developed a beautiful friendship.”
Skelly also disclosed that before officially connecting with Benitah, she first came across the viral video when a work friend who chanced on it on the platform sent it to her. Within an hour of receiving it, the video blew up, and her manager and corporate reached out to her.
She explained that before meeting Benitah at the drive-thru, she had been in a “crummy” mood. But after talking to Benitah, her spirits were instantly lifted for the rest of the day. Since then, Skelly and Benitah’s interactions have included going out to lunch and making plans to attend the local Christmas market together.
“It has been so fun and so beautiful,” Skelly expressed. “I’m actually so excited for our next hangout, which is soon. It’s going to be fun. We’re just two girls in our 20s.”
“My mom always tells me that just being friendly to someone can change your life or just being friendly can be the differences in someone’s day,” she added.
Benitah, on the other hand, said that it has been more difficult for her to meet new friends as she has gotten older, but she is grateful for this amazing bond with someone she probably would not have met otherwise.
She remarked, “A lot of times, people automatically have a negative association with being filmed or a camera, which I totally understand. But just Markelya flipping the situation into something so positive and having a bouncy, fun energy — I could tell she was around my age, in her 20s, and we just matched each other’s vibe. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
“It’s been really, really fun to just connect with her and her energy and everyone can see it from the video. She’s just like a bright light and she comes off very shy but she has such a fun personality and it’s been just really great.”
