Free Coffee Is The Best Coffee

Someone at Maxwell House‘s marketing department must be catching on to some of the hints we’ve been dropping lately, because on the morning of Wednesday, March 26th, they’ll be giving out free coffee to TTC riders at Eglinton Station. Get this—they’re also giving free subway rides to the first 10,000 subway riders. It’s a pretty awesome random act of kindness. And for good PR measure, Maxwell House is donating $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity.
Of course, this is likely going to raise cries from people who are against any kind of corporate presence on the TTC. Sure, this is a blatant marketing ploy—in the end, the people putting it on just want to sell more of their cheap and effective coffee. But there’s little need to get up in arms. Free coffee isn’t part of a big, evil endeavour to slowly commercialize the TTC.
Saving three-or-so dollars on a fare won’t make any sort of substantive difference in the lives of the TTC’s ridership. But at the same time, free coffee and a free fare are likely going to brighten the day of a lot of the people who take the often-dreary morning commute to work or school in some minute way.
Who knows? Ever have an inexplicably bad or ridiculously sluggish start to day? Getting a free coffee could be the sort of gesture that helps turn that all around. At the very least, it could caffeinate someone enough so they don’t awkwardly fall asleep on your shoulder by the time you get to St. Clair. Besides, free coffee always tastes better.
Also, some singer named Chantal Kreviasomething will be busking there as well.

Photo by robannz from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.