Support These 350 Coffee Shops Raising Funds for the ACLU

Coffee for a cause
More than 350 independent coffee shops across the country have pledged their support to the ACLU in a massive fundraiser organized by coffee news resource Sprudge. Locations of beloved brands like Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, Revelator, and Stumptown have each pledged a portion of this upcoming weekend’s sales, and Sprudge itself has pledged to match the first $500 raised by the 25 launch partner brands. “Like a hot mug of drip coffee spilled on a crisp white apron, these actions are a dark stain on our national conscience,” writes Sprudge’s team of editors and founders, “and as Americans we feel compelled to stand up against them.” Each participating cafe has a different donation model planned; visit the list to learn more.

Meanwhile, in Washington...
Barack Obama was unequivocally the first “foodie” president. Donald J. Trump, not so much. So while a visit from the Obama family would boost a local restaurant owner’s profile, Washington, DC chefs aren’t counting on Trump to do the same — instead, the New York Times reports, many have focused their attention on First Daughter Ivanka Trump. In Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner’s first weeks in DC, the couple has dined out at “low-key eateries that tend to draw families,” including the Open City diner. “If we did a map of where Donald Trump is dining,” says Eater DC editor Warren Rojas, quoted in the Times, “I don’t know that it would get much further than BLT Prime inside of his hotel.”

Yet another thing you can do via Facebook
The picking-up-the-phone-averse already have a slew of options when it comes to placing their pizza orders: Tweeting out an emoji, sliding into DMs, talking out loud to a weird AI hub you’ve welcomed inside your home. Now, Domino’s has announced it’s the latest brand to offer alternative ordering methods, via a Facebook Messenger bot. VentureBeat reports the Messenger bot will offer the full Domino’s menu, ordered via chat, although payment still needs to happen in-person upon delivery (aka, have cash on-hand, please). Fellow “big pizza” brand Pizza Hut already offers ordering via Facebook Messenger; meanwhile, smaller mom-and-pop pizzerias are trying to keep up with the rapidly changing tech landscape.

WORTHY READING: Extra Crispy crosses the pond to investigate the tradition behind Ireland’s “Early Houses,” aka pubs with special licenses that allow them to open as early as 7 a.m., aka just in time for beer at breakfast.

VIDEO INTERLUDE: What makes the sticky rice at New York City’s Malaysian restaurant Kopitiam blue? Watch below to find out: