New York City-based Gregorys Coffee will open a shop Nov. 8 at St. Johns Town Center in the former Starbucks location across from Maggiano’s Little Italy.
It is the company’s third coffee shop in Florida, said owner Gregory Zamfotis, who came to Jacksonville to oversee the opening. The other shops are in Coral Springs and Jensen Beach.
This has been a big year for the company he started in 2006. The company grew from 36 stores to 49 in 2024.
In addition to New York and Florida, Gregorys Coffee has shops in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C.
Zamfotis declined to release financial information but said that his company has been profitable from the start, only taking a dip during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Town Center expansion is part of a deal Zamfotis made with the Simon Property Group to open Gregorys Coffee shops in Simon properties, replacing vacant Starbucks spaces.
Because this was already a coffee shop, the five-week build-out cost around $150,000, he said.
“It’s a lot of cosmetic updates and swapping out of equipment. That’s where the most of the cost came from. To be honest, it was just all of our equipment, so that way we could do coffee the way we want to,”
Zamfotis, 42, is a Brooklyn, New York, native. His father, George, owned several restaurants in Manhattan. As a teenager, Zamfotis worked summer weekends and school vacations at the restaurants and learned the business.
He attended Boston University, majoring in finance operations with a minor in philosophy, and went to law school after graduating.
He decided law wasn’t the career he wanted. Conveniently, one of his father’s restaurants was near the college. He convinced his father to let him manage that store while continuing to attend law school. He graduated in 2007.
The heart-to-heart discussion about not becoming a lawyer occurred in a Starbucks.
He opened his own coffee shop at 24th Street and Park Avenue near the first Shake Shack. Coincidentally, his Jacksonville store is about a block from the recently opened Shake Shack at Town Center.
Gregorys Coffee seeks to stand out from its competitors.
The beans are roasted in New York City in two old-fashioned iron roasters. The roasters had been discarded when Zamfotis found them. Iron is the best conductor of heat and provides a predictable roast, he said.
“It is much more expensive to get a solid iron roaster like I have. It would be like 10 times the price with today’s cost. So they’re usually alloys of aluminum or stainless steel.”
While the coffeehouse trend is to have a drive-thru, only a single Gregorys Coffee offers one. Zamfotis has nothing against the concept, but his shops are mostly in strip malls or existing stand-alone buildings.
His aim is to make the stores a place to hang out. The banquet seating is designed to be plush and comfortable. The chairs, while utilitarian, contribute to the stay-awhile atmosphere. He places no time limits on turning tables and makes sure there is quality Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets.
“I liken a lot of what we do to the bar, right? There’s fantastic salad places out there. But people don’t go to the salad place to hang out or to have a meeting,” Zamfotis said.
“But coffee shops have that sort of magic to it where, and that’s why we try and create the right kind of environment.”
Pastries are made daily in-house. Besides breakfast sandwiches, Gregorys has croissants, burritos, spicy avocado toast, brownies, parfaits and cake pops. There are vegan options.
He expects to launch an expanded menu in early 2025.
Some budget advisers suggest people not waste money on gourmet coffee.
Zamfotis acknowledges his bias and defends his product.
“I think as far as coffee is concerned, it’s probably the most affordable luxury you can afford yourself. So for three or four bucks, you can get at an amazing cup of coffee. And if you’re thinking about going out to dinner and you want to have a nice glass of wine, you’re paying $14, $15, $16 and is it the best wine out there? No, it’s probably just whatever they’re serving,” Zamfotis said.
“It’s more than just dollars and cents for us. I say it is about interact, not transact. I’m not here to just give you a coffee and take your money. We are trying to make experience for people.”
Gregorys Coffee will open Nov. 8, when the final touches are completed. Zamfotis said it will be open to be part of the Nov. 9 Town Center Christmas tree-lighting event.
When fully operational there will be 16 employees and a total of 30 seats inside the cafe and on the sidewalk.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
