New policy: No coffee to go

[Aadje]

How about this:

In Café Grumpy in NY customers cannot get a coffee to go unless they buy the porcelain cup. I quote the NYTimes:

“You’re supposed to drink espresso fast,” said Caroline Bell, an owner of Café Grumpy, explaining that paper lets the heat dissipate too quickly.
When some customers at the three outposts in Brooklyn and Manhattan became, well, grumpy over the lack of takeout espresso, Ms. Bell instituted a policy meant to be taken more with a wink than with the snarl of the cafe’s logo: Patrons can get an espresso to go, if they pay $12 to drink it from a porcelain cup they can keep. “People actually do that,” she said. “There’s a guy that comes in every day to Chelsea with that cup and gets espresso.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/nyregion/05puritans.html

Isn't this awesome?

[jossy]

Good idea, but I wonder, do they exchange the customers' cold and possibly dirty cups for a warm clean cup when they serve them coffee? Otherwise, not such a good idea...

[dunkster]

Plenty of London cafes wont do espresso to go. Dose for example.

[bruceb]

I hadn't paid much attention to this thread, but thinking about it now I wonder what in heaven's name would one do with an espresso to go? By the time you got it out the door the crema would have fallen and it would be cold.

[Aadje]

That's a good one . . .

[bruceb]

On the other hand, I just thought that perhaps if you were making chocolate chip and espresso brownies you might have a good reason.

[Aadje]

Or if your standards are off; get an exclusive espresso, take it home, put it in the microwave and enjoy . . .

[Beanie]

Someone once came into DH (about 1-1.5 years ago) wanting 7 double shots in one cup...to go. Naturally, I couldn't conceal the stunned look on my face... she then explained she needed to use it for baking... and refused to use "espresso powder". She also lived within a minute's walk from the shop... and duly brought in a sample of her finished work

There's also one regular patron who waits in the car while his spouse gets their drinks. The driver's drink is the espresso to go. Scenario: work day, on the way to work, spouse doesn't drive, no available parking spot. Spouse's Caffe Latte got his drink first, driver's drink gets his espresso started only when spouse gets the lid for his own cup so that he can be out the door as soon as driver's drink is ready. Happened maybe once every 2 weeks or so... could even see him (driver) chug it down before pulling back onto the street

DH has a 15cent discount program for patrons who bring their own cups/mugs. We simply filled it with hot water to warm the cup/mug, prepped the drink, dumped out the hot water...and ta da.

Why 15 cents? It's the exact cost of the biodegradable take-away cup and the lid.