Happy to Serve You – 3oz Espresso Cup

We are happy to serve you declares this witty ceramic version of what’s become a New York City icon with its now-famous Greek key decoration. More than 180 million of the original paper version, introduced in 1963, are dispensed by delis and street coffee carts every year. 

THE STORY

When Greek immigrants arrived in New York in the early part of the last century, they brought their coffee culture along with them, giving birth to the city’s ubiquitous Greek diners and sidewalk pushcarts. In 1963, the Sherri Cup Company set out to produce a to-go coffee cup that would appeal to the Greek vendors. Marketing director Leslie Buck dreamed up a motif that included blue-and-white colors from the flag of Greece. His message, WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU, was printed in Greek-style letters, adorned with a trio of steaming, mustard-yellow cups, flanked by ancient “Anthora” urns, and framed with a Greek Key pattern. No one, before or since, has been able to capture, by accident or design, the city’s self-identity.

Product

Product
Porcelain cup / microwave / dishwasher safe.

Material
lead-free earthenware.

Size
3 oz.