Restaurant Newsletter Has Global Reach

Serves businesses in 700 US communities and 400 other places worldwide

July 22, 2011This fellow’s getting some light news and brain-teasers from Coffee News, not with a cup of 'Joe,' but with a beer.

People who are grabbing coffee or a meal at a restaurant are sure to have some time on their hands while they wait to place their orders and receive their food.

All the while, they often wish they had something quick, light, and interesting to read.

A single, thick sheet of paper fills that need and serves neighborhood businesses in 700 U.S. communities and 400 other places around the world.

It’s a weekly publication that’s printed, front and back, in three columns, and placed in racks for customers to pick up. The middle column is filled with wise sayings, trivia items, notes about the day in history, weekly horoscopes and offbeat stories, such as a recent item about a horse that stands just 36 centimeters tall. The whole sheet takes about 10 minutes to read.

The two outside columns are packed with ads for neighborhood car washes, wedding photographers, pest-control companies and so forth.

Want some froth with your coffee? Coffee News’s logo conveys its cheery contents.

The idea originated in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1982, with a woman named Jean Daum. She had seen restaurant patrons pick up sugar packs from their containers on the table and read the brief, entertaining factoids printed on the back, just to pass the time.