The recently announced debut of the DC Disloyalty Card ”which is a business card-sized note that earns card-holders discounts at some of Washington, D.C.’s best coffeehouses ”has made big news, landing coverage in The Washington Post and The Guardian UK. And it should get good press ”this is a really cool thing.
The concept of a coffee disloyalty card isn’t exactly new, but it’s welcome in any community at any time ”keep ’em coming, we say. The DC Disloyalty Card wasn’t created to lure consumers away from Starbucks or other chains, but if that happens, well, that’s great. The DC Disloyalty Card has a very simple mission: give coffee drinkers a reason to try something new.
DC folks: the card is free and can be picked up at any of the participating shops, which are:
¢ Blind Dog Cafe (944 Florida Ave. NW)
¢ The Coffee Bar (1201 S St. NW)
¢ Peregrine Espresso (all three locations)
¢ Chinatown Coffee (475 H St. NW)
¢ La Mano (304 Carroll St. NW)
¢ Filter Coffeehouse (both locations)
Typical loyalty cards come from a single shop that encourages customers to come back again and again; for example, after 10 stamps on that shop’s loyalty card, the customer gets a free drink. But the DC Disloyalty Card works in a different way: it promotes DC as a coffee community by shining equal light on six terrific espresso bars. Customers pick up a blank card at any of the six participating cafes, collect stamps from all six shops, and then turn the completed card in to the shop of their choice for a free drink.
There’s a whole website about it if you want more information. Just go HERE. There are only 500 cards total though, so be sure to visit one of these shops today to get yours!
“The program is a collaboration between two coffee professionals, Dawn Shanks and Christy Pelton,” reads the official press release. “Dawn organized the project and reached out to shops for participation. Christy, also a local graphic designer, designed the cards and set up the website. Baristas in DC already embrace the spirit of the program: they often visit different shops than their own to stay curious and visit friends who work behind other counters. The card program strives not only to encourage people to drink coffee at locally-owned shops, but also to get people to explore the city more through the neighborhoods each shop is in, making more of DC feel like home.”
Instead of a loyalty card for one shop that offers a reward after several repeat visits, the [DC Disloyalty Card] rewards a local coffee lover who visits all six shops on the back of the card, collecting a stamp at each one. They can then return a completed card to the shop of their choice for a free coffee drink.
