Over the past few weeks, a consumer-generated video involving the Sonic brand has taken root and spread like wildfire on the web.

It started as a playful and spontaneous act of fun when 23-year-old musician and coffee shop employee Giorgio Fareira pulled into a Connecticut Sonic Drive-In with a group of friends and placed their order via a charming and improvised serenade. A friend recorded Giorgio’s performance and posted the video, Giorgio Loves Sonic to YouTube. Within a week, it had eclipsed more than one million views.

From YouTube hits to media coverage, the response to the video has been spectacular. Ellen DeGeneres thought so much of Giorgio’s good-natured talent that she invited him on her show and asked him to spread his musical cheer throughout Los Angeles in a humorous and heartwarming bit.

Looking past the video’s initial appeal, however, those in the restaurant industry should take notice of one aspect in particular: the heartwarming, giggly response from the employee taking the order. It goes without saying that customer service can make or break a guest’s experience. Not only did the girl behind the loudspeaker play an important supporting role in the video’s success, her genuine and real response also reaffirmed the idea that your front-line employees are ultimately the face of your brand. No amount of marketing can overcome that fact.

In the case of Giorgio’s serenade, that quality customer service was front and center and on display to a YouTube audience numbering seven figures.