With locations throughout New York City, Washington D.C. and other East Coast metropoles, Gregorys Coffee, which specializes roasting its own beans and offering a plant-forward food menu, plans to open its first West Coast location at the Shops at Mission Viejo Mall on Saturday, April 27.
“At Gregorys Coffee we strive to challenge the status quo and see coffee differently,” says Gregory Zamfotis, founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, in a company statement. “We are excited to introduce our first location in California and welcome more Gregulars into our family. Southern California exudes the feeling of family and we are so excited to join the community. Our expansion to the West Coast has been a long time coming, and we are delighted to officially open the doors.”
Zamfotis’s company differentiates itself offering quality coffee in a timely manner. In other words, one need no longer wait in excess for a choice cup of joe (e.g., in the time it takes to brew a proper pour-over). “We try and bring the best of a lot of worlds into one really great package,” he said. “All of the bells and whistles you’d expect rom a national chain — like ordering ahead, time and accessibility — are coupled with great products and true specialty coffee brought to you in an efficient manner.”
Another highlight is Gregorys penchant for keeping coffee fresh — literally. Drip coffee that isn’t used after 30 minutes post-drip gets the heave-ho “Any coffee that’s been sitting too long won’t meet our quality standards,” explained Zamfotis. “After 30 minutes there becomes a slow build up of an acid called quinic, which isn’t a pleasant acid and can become detected by palates. We don’t want to have that.”
Gregorys Coffee’s first California location moves into the old Starbucks kiosk found at the mall’s second-floor food court.
The company, founded in 2006, offers a slew of coffeehouse staples like Americanos, espresso, Cartados, cold brews and chai, as well as cheeky-named brews like Dark Enough (dark drip coffee), Fall Oat Boy (espresso with cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, hazelnut and oat milk), Hall & Oats (cold brew with oat milk) and Purple Rain (a violet-hued smoothie with blueberries, banana, flax seed, goji berries, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla protein).
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Food menu options include muffins, banana nut poundcake, egg white bites, a vegan deluxe sandwich (a croissant with vegan egg, Beyond Sausage and vegan cheddar cheese), a vegan burrito (Beyond Breakfast Sausage, vegan cheddar cheese, breakfast potatoes, diced pepper and onions) and more. Fret not, carnivores; meat items also appear on the menu.
The Mission Viejo opening will mark the company’s 38th location.
The company’s logo, an emblem of Zamfotis sporting glasses resembling coffee cups, reflects its owner’s penchant for style: Esquire has twice featured Zamfotis, who has a knack for sporting swank threads, in the magazine’s how-to-dress series. Zamfotis comes from a culinary background care of his father who owned and operated several food concepts in New York City.
Gregorys Coffee will compete with a slew of Orange County, ranging like the ubiquitous Starbucks and the newly opened Dutch Bros to independent third-wave coffee spots like Hidden House Coffee and Bear Coast Coffee.
It hopes to open its second California location in Palo Alto later this year.
Find it: 555 Shops at Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo
