Updated 5:40 p.m.
Apparently it’s pretty easy to earn a whole month of good luck. All you have to do is utter a couple words on the inaugural day.
Those magic words: rabbit, rabbit.
Why those words? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But an old British legend states that if those are the very first words you say as a month dawns, you’ll have good luck until the calendar flips again.
And what’s better luck than free coffee?
In April, local art director Susan Schneider began a partnership with Metropolitan Bakery. She paid for the shop’s Rittenhouse Square location to give out 25 free cups of coffee to random customers on the first day of each month — all in the name of rabbit, rabbit.
Schneider believes in the superstition wholeheartedly. She’s been following the “rabbit, rabbit” tradition since she was a child, doing it for so long she can’t even remember how she learned it. Just over a year ago, she decided to use the phrase to spread good fortune and launched an online shop called Rabbit Rabbit.
The online store offers rabbit-themed clothing and mugs, all of which promote what Schneider calls the “More Good, More Luck” initiative.
The free coffee follows the same mantra. Each Metro cup given away comes with a sleeve that says “rabbit, rabbit” in the hopes that it will help spread positive vibes.
On June 1, more of these good karma cups will be out in the wild than ever: instead of giving out 25 freebies, they’ll be doubling the number and handing out 50.
“The more good we all spread, the more random acts of kindness there are, the more luck it will bring other people,” Schneider said. “If you do a random act of kindness for somebody, they have luck that day, and the best way to launch it is to give away free coffee.”
Each month, Schneider visits Met Bakery to check on the progress. So far, bakery employees have told her the initiative seems to brighten people’s days — although Schneider hasn’t gotten a ton of direct feedback from the recipients.
That’s part of the reason she’s upping the number of free cups — she wants it to start a visible “movement” of good luck and kindness in Philly.
The coffee giveaways will last six months, until Sept. 1, at which point she plans to think up a new idea and partner with more businesses.
“Hopefully someone receives it,” Schneider said, “and it makes their day a little better.”
