WASHINGTON – A half-dozen independent coffee shops in the nation’s capital have joined together to lure consumers away from Starbucks in an effort to boost small businesses. The “D.C. Disloyalty Card” is a rewards card that offers customers a free drink once they’ve patronized all six of the area’s participating independently-owned coffee shops, each of which operates with an eye towards ethically sourced goods.
“D.C. Disloyalty Card ” holders will get a stamp when they visit Peregrine Espresso, Filter, The Coffee Bar, Chinatown Coffee Company, La Mano and the Blind Dog Cafe. Once six stamps are collected, the disloyal card-holder can enjoy a free drink from one of the participating shops.
“The card is a fun way to get baristas and customers talking with each other,” Dawn Shanks, a Peregrine Espresso barista who helped create the card, told the Washington Post. “It also reflects the connection all the individual shops have with one another — the coffee community is a supportive and close-knit group.”
Shops are already running out of the cards; 500 were made in the initial printing, and more may be on the way, according to DC Eater. We’ve heard no official word from Starbucks on this topic, though we imagine the company is currently frothing with a hint of pumpkin spice
The accompanying social media campaign is posting photos and videos on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, taken by customers who use their cards and attach the hashtag, #dcdisloyal.
Shanks already has plans for a second printing, and hopes to eventually expand the project to Maryland and Virginia shops.
