The incident has raised questions about the safety risk posed to bikini-clad baristas in the small roadside huts.
A "bikini barista" was attacked in Washington this week by a would-be customer who sneaked in a drive-thru window while her back was turned, authorities said.
Surveillance video shows a man forcing the young woman to the floor before pushing her out the window and dragging her off. The woman, Madeline Guinto, said she was able to fight off her assailant and run after he was spooked by a new customer and bolted.
He was later arrested. The incident has raised questions about the safety of working in the roadside huts.
So-called bikini barista shops are scattered across the country in states like Washington, Oregon, Idaho and North Carolina. They feature scantily clad young woman in barely-there two-piece swimsuits and dispensing coffee drinks, alone, inside a tiny shack.
"It's making me feel confident and I earn a whole lot more money than I would at Starbucks," one barista brags in a YouTube video.
Some of the women reportedly earn as much as $100,000 a year.
Guinto, who has spoken openly about her attack, encouraged women to work out to increase their strength so they can fight defend themselves.
"I want people to know I put up a fight," she told a local reporter.
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