Starbucks encourages bipartisan coffee-drinking

Starbucks is providing a jolt to political discourse, giving away free cups of coffee to customers who chat it up with someone on the other side of the aisle.

With help from Boston-based startup Hi From the Other Side, the coffee giant wants to lure potential political opponents into coming together over a cup of joe. Participants who sign up (there’s currently a waitlist) for the app through Facebook are paired up with another local from the opposing political party.

The app brings together “nice people across the political divide to talk like neighbors. Not to convince, but to understand,” the Hi From the Other Side website states. The company says it’s “hopeful there are people who really want to engage in a civil conversation.”

{mosads}As part of a recently launched, limited promotion, the startup says those who sign up and are matched will receive a Starbucks e-gift card.

“This means you’ll have to show up and work together to unlock the gift card!” according to its site.

It’s not the first time Starbucks has attempted to get debates brewing at its coffeeshops. In 2015, the chain faced backlash over it’s “Race Together” campaign, which encouraged baristas to chat with customers about race relations.

Earlier this year, Starbucks announced a plan to hire 10,000 refugees in 75 countries, in response to President Trump’s travel ban.

“These uncertain times call for different measures and communication tools than we have used in the past,” Howard Schultz, who next week is stepping down as Starbucks’ CEO for a new role at the company, wrote in a memo to employees at the time.