diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c865c3b51..971d9b6d4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -163,3 +163,13 @@ For additional details, please refer to the blog post [Hello DCO, Goodbye CLA: S
 ## License
 
 The Spring PetClinic sample application is released under version 2.0 of the [Apache License](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0).
+
+### User Story
+
+As a pet clinic administrator, I want to add a `/greetings` API endpoint that returns a personalized welcome message so that I can display it on the homepage.
+
+Acceptance Criteria:
+- Endpoint: `/api/greetings`
+- Method: GET
+- Optional query param: `name`
+- Returns: "Welcome to the PetClinic, <name>!" or "Welcome to the PetClinic!" if no name is passed.
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingController.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingController.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4cb8cfb88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingController.java
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+@RestController
+@RequestMapping("/api")
+public class GreetingController {
+
+    @GetMapping("/greetings")
+    public String greet(@RequestParam(required = false) String name) {
+        if (name == null || name.isEmpty()) {
+            return "Hello, World!";
+        } else {
+            return "Hello, " + name + "!";
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingControllerTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingControllerTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b599333e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/owner/GreetingControllerTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+@SpringBootTest
+@AutoConfigureMockMvc
+public class GreetingControllerTest {
+
+    @Autowired
+    private MockMvc mockMvc;
+
+    @Test
+    public void testGreetWithName() throws Exception {
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/greetings?name=Anu"))
+            .andExpect(status().isOk())
+            .andExpect(content().string("Welcome to the PetClinic, Anu!"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testGreetWithoutName() throws Exception {
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/greetings"))
+            .andExpect(status().isOk())
+            .andExpect(content().string("Welcome to the PetClinic!"));
+    }
+}