Coffee with a Cop
LSM Guide

Overview

Coffee with a Cop is a national law enforcement program that brings police officers and the community members they serve together—over coffee—to discuss community issues, learn more about each other and build relationships in an informal, neutral environment such as McDonald’s. 

In addition to serving as a host site, McDonald’s can coordinate these events as an effective LSM activation in communities large and small. Coffee with a Cop events support the Community Connection brand pillar, bringing attendees together over coffee and strengthening relationships with customers and local law enforcement. They also support several public relations strategic objectives, including building ambassadorship through influential voices who publicly support McDonald’s and positioning McDonald’s Owner/Operators as local business owners who are active in their communities.


CKP loves to share and amplify McDonald’s community involvement across the North Texas area! If you would like advance promotion and/or post-event recaps of your Coffee with a Cop event on your stores’ Facebook page(s), make a submission to CKP’s social media submission form.

Step 1: Where to Start

The first step is reaching out to local police stations near your restaurant(s) to start a conversation and begin building relationships.

If you’re starting from scratch, locate your closest station(s) and look on their website for contact information 

• Tip: Look for titles and/or departments that include: media relations, communications, public affairs, public information, public engagement, community relations unit, public information officer, crime prevention, etc.

• A sample email is included below as a guide

If you have existing contacts at nearby stations, start by reaching out to them and asking for an introduction to the person who coordinates Coffee with a Cop events

• Be aware of other owner/operators with restaurants nearby: If you overlap with neighboring police departments, consider partnering on the outreach and rotating locations when you hold your events

Outreach Pointers

Sample Outreach Email


Hi,

My name is [name]. I’m a local McDonald’s owner/operator and my store at [address] is just [x miles] from your station. We’re interested in partnering with you to hold a Coffee with a Cop event in the coming months. Would you be the best contact to discuss and plan a community initiative like this?

Please let me know if you’re available to discuss over the phone, or meet in person, in the next week or two.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Suggested Discussion Points


• Key contacts for both parties

• Preferred date(s) and time(s)

• What locations and/or stations should partner together, and what cadence would be appropriate for both parties

• How the station can help promote the event

• If the station has any specific topics they’d like to discuss or handouts they’d like to bring 


Step 2: Plan your Coffee with a Cop Event 


Work in partnership with the police department to plan and execute the event to maximize collaboration and promotion.


  • Before the event

    • At least two weeks in advance, share event details with CKP for a pre-event post on your restaurant's Facebook page and potential media outreach (Tip: Consider a paid LSM Facebook campaign to boost awareness and attendance)


    • Ask the station to share details via their newsletter, social media and other communications channels, suggesting that any digital promotion tag and link to your restaurant's Facebook page


    •  Order promotional materials from McDonald’s-approved vendor Media Monkey (click here to see available promotional materials)


    •  Promote the event (Coffee with a Cop + date and time) on your reader board


    •  Print flyers for the restaurant doors and Drive Thru windows


    •  Confirm law enforcement attendance


    •  Request that all law enforcement in attendance sign a photography waiver prior to the event

  • At the event

    Capture photos during the event. Photo suggestions include:

    •  Your crew smiling with police officers

    •  Officers holding coffee cups

    •  Officers engaging with members of the
        community

    •  Officers smiling in front of their table 


    Note: Make sure that all people photographed have signed this online photography waiver!


    Reinforce key messaging about McDonald’s involvement in the community:

    •  We’re proud to partner with [local police department] to host Coffee with a Cop

    McDonald’s is a neutral setting for the community to connect with police officers to discuss community issues and build relationships

    • As a local business owner, I’m invested in this community

    • Our next event will be [date and location, if confirmed] 

  • After the event

    Share photos with CKP for a recap post on your restaurant's Facebook page


Best Bets for a Successful Event:


  • Communicate with the police department to ensure that specific dates and the overall schedule works for them and isn’t a strain on resources
  • Police departments in larger cities have shared feedback that city-wide events can be a strain on their resources. The more participation you have from the department, the more engagement and promotion you’ll have for your event.
  • Hold the event during a two-hour timeframe between 8 and 11 a.m.
  • Weekdays and weekends can be equally successful, but be mindful of school calendars if you plan to have kid-friendly activities at the event 
  • The format of the event is generally casual, with come-and-go visitors and informal conversations
  • Sometimes the officers may have specific programming to share. Work with the department to determine if you want to discuss a specific topic during the event.
  • Serve free small coffee to all attendees
  • Host one or two events per restaurant, per year
  • Rotate the location of your event to engage different communities, restaurants and police departments
  • This could be one event per month, or one event per quarter depending on the size of your organization and the size of the police department 
  • Ask if the officers would like to set up a table for giveaways and/or on-site engagement during the event. Some creative ideas include:
  • Creating ID cards for children
  • Giving away stickers, balloon, coffee mugs, pens, notepads and informational pamphlets, bike safety information
  • Tours of police or fire trucks in the parking lot 
  • Letting the officers hand out orders in the Drive Thru
  • Leverage your agency partner at CKP to amplify the event through social media and traditional media outreach, when applicable
  • Encourage employees and police department contacts to like, comment and share pre- and post-event social media posts to further increase reach

Maintaining the Relationship

Once the line of communication is open, maintain the relationship with your local police stations: 


  • Support initiatives that the department has going on, such as holiday giveaways and toy drives, back-to-school drives, award ceremonies, etc
  • Deliver coffee, breakfast or lunch to the station from time to time, including holidays like National First Responders Day
  • Engage your local police department/station for learning sessions with your supervisors/managers on relevant and timely topics
  • Schedule regular Coffee with a Cop events at a cadence that works for your organization and the department (depending on the size of the department, you could schedule them monthly or quarterly)

Get Creative with Variations of the Event Format

Using a similar event format and promotion strategy, you can bring your customers together with other community stakeholders such as firefighters and public officials.* 


  • Fries with a Firefighter
  • Coffee with a Council Member*
  • Breakfast with the Mayor*
  • Breakfast with the Chamber of Commerce


*Note: Any events involving elected officials requires additional guidance to stay in compliance with local regulations. Please contact CKP if you’re considering an event extension; we will work with the Field Government Relations Manager and the Field Public Relations Manager to ensure compliance.

Step 3: Share with CKP for Amplification

Let us know what you’re doing in your community by making a submission to CKP’s Social Media Request Form. We will promote your activities on your restaurant Facebook page(s) and can consider for earned media opportunities as well.


We love to include photos! Reminder to make sure that all people photographed have signed this online photography waiver.


Questions or feedback? Please reach out to Aquarius Williams at CKP.