Three-minute read
OLD BRIDGE -- Over the years, Gregory Zamfotis has opened his Gregorys Coffee shops in places like New York City and Washington D.C., but never in the community where he grew up, Monmouth County. That's about to change. A Gregorys Coffee, with two drive-thru lanes, is under construction at 360 Route 9 in Manalapan, on the site of a former Lukoil service station, with an opening hopefully by this summer. Founded in 2006 with a shop in Manhattan, Zamfotis, the company's founder and chief executive officer, has grown Gregorys Coffee into a coffee company with 54 stores in 12 states and Washington, D.C., including seven in New Jersey. Besides Old Bridge, Gregory's Coffee is in Jersey City, Hoboken, Summit, Lawrenceville and Paramus. What's Going There caught up last week with Zamfotis, who grew up in Holmdel and moved to Rumson from Westchester County about a year and a half ago. He was attending the opening of Gregorys Coffee in Old Bridge. "It's really special for me to bring all this work I've been doing for the past 19, 20 years to the community that I grew up in," Zamfotis said. The Manalapan location will be the first Gregorys Coffee location in Monmouth County.
In 2022, Hazlet's land use board approved a Gregorys Coffee on Route 35 as part of a new retail building that was to replace what was formerly Dino's Fishery. So far, that project has stalled. Now with the help of Danielle Brunelli, president of R.J. Brunelli & Co, the Old Bridge-based commercial brokerage firm, Zanfotis is looking to bring Gregorys Coffee to other locations in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Originally from Brooklyn, Zamfotis spent his "formative years" growing up in Holmdel, moving to the township with his family when he was in third grade and later attending Holmdel High School. His father owned fast-casual restaurants, including a sandwich shop at Freehold Raceway Mall where Zamfotis worked during summer and school breaks. After college and law school, he realized he didn't want to be lawyer. Instead, he chose to get into the food and beverage business. He chose coffee, a beverage that he drank a lot of while at school while studying or at a Starbucks or local coffee shops. "I had a passion for coffee," Zamfotis said. His take? Create a shop with a quality, elevated menu and experience that doesn't sacrifice speed, ease and convenience. "We're able to deliver the world-class on all the basics you would expect — lattes, cappuccinos, pure coffee — but then have this forward-thinking, innovative menu with products you can't find anywhere else, and people really love them," Zamfotis said. That means drinks such as cherry blossom matcha or London Calling, which is Earl Grey tea, lavender, citrus and oat milk topped with a vegan lavender cold foam. There's also items baked fresh from scratch in the store, including matcha brownies, vegan bars and banana nut pound cake, and sandwiches such as a vegan burrito or the New Yorker, which is bacon, egg and cheese on a brioche bun. "We have the flexibility to tweak and adjust and do things that you can't just find anywhere else," Zanfotis said. "We take a lot of pride in the menu development." At the same time, Zanfotis said he wants make Gregorys a "gathering place." "You have people that come in and they're here and they're hanging out," he said. "If you want to stay and do your thing, you should."
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at [email protected]. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.
