Flat Black Coffee Cash Mob

Cash mobs seem to be all over these days, and on Saturday I attended my first cash mob at Flat Black Coffee in the Ashmont area of Dorchester. Not familiar with the concept of a cash mob? Basically, a group or person organizes a meeting for a certain date and time to “mob” a certain local business with cash. The organizer contacts the business in advance for permission and to make sure they are staffed, and then everyone goes and buys something from that business, giving them a great day of sales and exposure. In these tough economic times, it’s a fun way to support local business, and since I love my neighborhood, was excited to participate.

In this case, Cash Mob Dorchester was the organizer. Their first hit was the Sweet Place in Dorchester, and it led to the highest grossing day in the business’ history.

We arrived at Flat Black a little after the scheduled time of 11:00, and a small crowd was forming. Balloons decorated the coffee shop inside and out.

Flat Black is clean and cheerful, offers plenty of seating, and free wifi.

Their menu includes a good variety of options, including a Flat Black Coffee Wanderlust flight which allows customers to sample all three coffees of the day.

They also serve muffins, scones, bagels, croissants, and other breakfast treats.

We never really saw a mob, but we were still happy to check out a local business and to enjoy some delicious iced coffee on a nice day. I checked the Facebook follow up for the cash mob, and it seemed like it picked up a little later on.

There are lots of businesses who could benefit from the cash mob, and I am looking forward to the next one.

In the meantime, I know I am looking forward to a return to Flat Black and hoping they’ll decide to open a café in my part of Dorchester!

Have you ever been part of a cash mob? Do you have a favorite business in your area that you would nominate?