Free coffee from Caffe Vita would be a great idea anytime -- I regularly shell out for the company's excellent brew -- but it's a particularly clever move for the company to announce it's offering a free drink from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 26. Those are the precise hours, you might recall, that Starbucks stores will be closed for training.

Any coffee or espresso drink will be gratis, one per customer, said Vita's marketing manager, Kate Perry, as a nifty promotion "for people who are kind of getting left out in the cold for those three hours." It's a chance to introduce the company's "exceptional" brew and highlights such as "farm-direct coffee" to new customers, but regulars will also benefit – the freebie is being advertised in all five Caffe Vita locations. Perry said the company is expecting a huge response, but not to worry. "We're staffed and ready!" All that and free wi-fi anytime.