Business Breakdowns
Episode 186 Gregorys Coffee: From Bean to Dream
Business Breakdowns

Episode 186: Gregorys Coffee: From Bean to Dream

Business Breakdowns

Episode 186

Gregorys Coffee: From Bean to Dream

Gregory Zamfotis is the founder of Gregorys Coffee. We cover how growing up in the food and beverage industry inspired him to launch his coffee business, why balancing quality with the customer experience has been a successful differentiator for the brand, and how Gregorys is accelerating its expansion into new key markets.

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Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns

(00:04:33) Growing Up in the Food and Beverage Industry

(00:06:57) Deciding to Pursue Gregorys Coffee

(00:10:04) Opening the First Gregorys Coffee Location

(00:16:42) Innovating and Expanding the Business

(00:28:57) Challenges and Lessons in Scaling Up

(00:50:52) Comparing Quality: Mass Chains vs. Our Espresso

(00:53:27) Our Mission and Core Values

(00:58:10) Consistency Across Locations

(01:00:46) Partnership with Simon Property Group

(01:07:36) The Role of Technology and Loyalty Programs

(01:12:16) Balancing Order Ahead and In-Store Experience

(01:15:47) The Cost and Challenges of Opening a Coffee Shop

(01:22:13) Handling Competition and Maintaining Quality

(01:24:29) The Coffee Community and Industry Trends

(01:27:16) Vision for Future Expansion

(01:29:12) Building a Strong Team and Infrastructure

(01:34:04) Lessons Learned and Entrepreneurial Advice

Gregorys Coffee: From Bean to Dream

Introduction

Matt
Welcome back to Business Breakdowns. This is Matt Reustle, and today we are getting into the world of coffee with Gregory Zamfotis, the founder of Gregorys Coffee. I admire people building businesses in highly competitive markets, and Gregorys is a brand that started in New York City around the same time that I started my career. So it holds a special, nostalgic place in my heart, and I referenced that in this episode.

But we get into the full story here. Greg shares the journey on being a son of an entrepreneur, building with family members, differentiating as a concept. We're focusing on quality but not giving up speed. And we all know how important speed is in urban areas and New York especially.

We get into what it's like to innovate in an industry where innovation can last a week before a competitor releases the same thing on their menu, and all of the challenges around going from one store to a second store to scaling into what Gregorys is today.

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