Ryan Gosling Smiling During A Casual Visit To A Toronto Café (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Here’s a throwback to when Ryan Gosling, the heartthrob we all know and love, made a coffee shop owner’s wildest dream come true. Picture this: a small café in Toronto called Grinder Coffee, a viral social media campaign, and a cardboard cutout of Ryan Gosling—yes, that Ryan Gosling. This was all part of Joelle Murray’s not-so-crazy attempt to get the Oscar-nominated actor to swing by while he was in town for the Toronto International Film Festival promoting First Man. Spoiler alert: it worked.
Murray had been pushing hard with her viral campaign, #ryanneedsgrinder, for over a week. She posted photos of the cutout sipping coffee and exploring Toronto hotspots, each caption an invitation for Gosling to visit them. The twist? If he came through, he’d get a reasonable 15% off his coffee. (Who could resist that kind of deal?) Initially, Murray had set her sights on Idris Elba, but after a bit of heartbreak and a lack of interest from the James Bond actor, she turned her attention to Gosling. And guess what? It worked.
According to Murray, Gosling’s mom convinced him to pop in. After seeing the tweets and the persistent cardboard cutout campaign, the actor took the 20-minute trek from TIFF to the café, and the internet exploded. The shop tweeted, “#ryanneedsgrinder worked. The man himself showed up. What a good sport, a well-brought-up Canadian boy. We truly appreciate Ryan taking the time to visit us during #TIFF.”
Murray was beyond thrilled when Gosling arrived. “He made it seem like he enjoyed meeting me as much as I enjoyed meeting him,” she told Canoe. Talk about a win-win. For a local café, this kind of publicity was priceless. In a brief two-minute visit, Gosling greeted Murray and the patrons, confirming what we already knew: he’s a genuinely lovely guy.
So, how did this coffee shop pull it off? It wasn’t just about Gosling’s cutout making the rounds on Twitter—the entire campaign offered to cover half of Gosling’s Uber ride to the café. Talk about dedication. But in the end, it wasn’t the ride that got him there—it was a little nudge from his mom. After all, sometimes moms know best.
Gosling’s short visit to Grinder Coffee may have been spontaneous, but it’s a testament to the power of social media, creativity, and a bit of Canadian charm. As for the café, it was all a part of the hustle, and it paid off big-time. We can only imagine what it would’ve been like if they’d gotten Idris Elba in the door (let’s be honest, though, Gosling was the better choice). The whole thing was quirky, fun, and a little weird, but that’s what made it work.
Next time you’re hoping to meet your favorite celebrity, you may need a cardboard cutout and a killer Twitter campaign. If it worked for Grinder Coffee, who knows what could happen next?
