---
title: Gregorys Coffee Was Built by Obsessing Over the Bean
description: "Recorded live at CraveCon 2025, this episode of Room for Seconds features guest host Josh Halpern in conversation with Greg Zamfotis, founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, for a wide-ranging discussion on passion, product obsession, and building a brand rooted in craft and community.
Greg traces his journey back to growing up in a family-run food business in New York City—working deliveries as a kid and learning the fundamentals of hospitality long before launching Gregorys Coffee in 2006. What began as a single shop fueled by a deep love for coffee has grown into more than 50 locations nationwide, all anchored by an uncompromising commitment to the bean.
Throughout the conversation, Greg explains why he believes coffee is more complex than wine, why the morning ritual leaves zero margin for error, and how Gregorys has resisted trends in favor of elevating quality—innovating with drinks like cold brew mojitos, biscotti-inspired lattes, and clean, coffee-based energy beverages without ever losing sight of the core product.
The episode also explores Greg’s philosophy on menu development, ingredient integrity, and why trust starts with making undeniably great coffee. He shares how inspiration from mixology, global coffee culture, and personal heritage shapes Gregorys’ ever-evolving menu—while still honoring the daily ritual millions depend on.
Finally, Greg looks ahead to the next chapter for Gregorys Coffee, including national expansion, franchising, and what it means to invite other operators into a brand built on passion, people, and community.
A must-listen for founders, operators, and anyone fascinated by how deep product love—when paired with discipline and vision—can turn a single coffee shop into a scalable, culture-defining brand."
---

[Craveworthy Blog ](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog)

# [Gregorys Coffee Was Built by Obsessing Over the Bean](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog/gregorys-coffee-was-built-by-obsessing-over-the-bean)

 Written by [Craveworthy Brands](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog/author/craveworthy-staff) | Jan 12, 2026 1:00:00 PM

*Greg Zamfotis, Founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, scaled nationwide by treating coffee as craft, ritual, and trust—not a trend.*

## Key Takeaways

1. [Coffee Is More Complex Than Wine](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog/gregorys-coffee-was-built-by-obsessing-over-the-bean?hs_amp=true#takeaway-1)
2. [Coffee Isn’t Just a Product. It’s a Daily Ritual](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog/gregorys-coffee-was-built-by-obsessing-over-the-bean?hs_amp=true#takeaway-2)
3. [Why Gregorys Can Expand the Menu Without Losing the Brand ](https://media.craveworthybrands.com/blog/gregorys-coffee-was-built-by-obsessing-over-the-bean?hs_amp=true#takeaway-3)

[Gregorys Coffee](https://gregoryscoffee.com/)  didn’t scale by chasing trends. It scaled by treating coffee not as a commodity, but as a craft, a ritual, and a trust contract with its guests. At CraveCon 2025, [Greg Zamfotis ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-zamfotis-65589112)shared how deep product obsession, discipline, and intentional innovation have shaped Gregorys into one of the most respected coffee brands in the country.

# Coffee Is More Complex Than Wine

One of the most striking moments in the episode comes when Greg challenges a long-held cultural perception: that wine is sophisticated, while coffee is simple.

In reality, he argues, coffee is far more complex.

From sourcing and roasting to brewing and customization, coffee requires precision at every step—often in fast-paced, high-volume environments with zero room for error. Unlike wine, which is poured and presented, coffee is crafted in real time, tailored to each guest, and expected to be perfect every single day.

Greg points out the irony: consumers happily pay premium prices for average wine, yet scrutinize the cost of a meticulously sourced and prepared cup of coffee. For Gregorys, elevating coffee means educating guests—through experience—on just how special the product truly is.

Coffee deserves the same reverence as the world’s most celebrated beverages—and Gregorys builds its entire operation accordingly.

# Coffee Isn’t Just a Product. It’s a Daily Ritual

Coffee isn’t optional. And that’s what makes it different.

Greg explains that unlike many food and beverage categories, coffee is woven into people’s **daily routines**. It’s the first stop of the day, the mental reset, the familiar comfort. When someone chooses a coffee brand, they’re not just buying a drink—they’re choosing a ritual they’ll repeat hundreds of times a year.

That reality raises the stakes.

There’s no “off day” in coffee. Guests don’t have time to wait, and they don’t forgive inconsistency. Gregorys approaches this responsibility with seriousness, understanding that trust is built cup by cup, morning after morning.

Beyond caffeine, Greg sees coffee shops as community spaces—places for connection, conversation, and continuity. That perspective shapes everything from store design to team culture.

 When you’re part of someone’s daily ritual, excellence isn’t a differentiator—it’s the baseline. 

# Why Gregorys Can Expand the Menu Without Losing the Brand 

Gregorys serves matcha. It serves energy drinks. It serves blended and specialty beverages.

But none of it happens at the expense of the coffee.

Greg is clear: coffee is the anchor. Every menu expansion starts with the same question—does this build trust, or dilute it?

By leading with an uncompromising coffee program, Gregorys earns the right to innovate elsewhere. Guests who trust the brand’s coffee are willing to explore its matcha, its clean energy drinks made with green coffee extract, or its more experimental offerings inspired by mixology and global flavor profiles.

Rather than following industry shortcuts—like sugar-heavy energy drinks—Gregorys elevates every category it enters with cleaner ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, and restraint.

Innovation, in Greg’s view, isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing things better.

When the core product is exceptional, innovation becomes an extension of trust—not a risk.

### Episode Links:

- Connect with Greg on LinkedIn
- [Visit Gregorys Coffee online](https://gregoryscoffee.com/)
- [Follow Gregorys Coffee on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/GregorysCoffee/)
- [Follow Gregorys Coffee on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/gregoryscoffee/?hl=en)
- [Follow Gregorys Coffee on Tik Tok](https://www.tiktok.com/@gregoryscoffee)
- [Follow Gregorys Coffee on X](https://x.com/GregorysCoffee)

### ABOUT GREG ZAMFOTIS

Greg is the Founder & CEO of Gregorys Coffee. He has spent nearly two decades designing, building, and scaling a brand from a single NYC shop into a 50+ unit national platform. Along the way, his focus extended far beyond coffee — into technology, data, guest experience, wellness, culture, and the operating systems required to make all of it work together at scale.

Whether reimagining café design, pioneering functional wellness products, or building language and rituals that turned customers into “gregulars,” the work was never cosmetic. It was architectural. Today, he finds himself advising founders, operators, and technology leaders at the intersection of hospitality and tech — helping them design scalable systems, build durable cultures, and turn vision into repeatable execution.

### ABOUT JOSH HALPERN

Josh Halpern is the Chief Business Officer for Craveworthy Brands and CEO of Big Chicken. Over 20 years of professional and leadership experience in industries ranging from Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG), to retail and now the restaurant business.

### About Gregg Majewski

Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands. Craveworthy Media is Majewski’s gift back to the industry that has given him so much. The goal of Craveworthy is to inspire the up and coming industry leaders by providing important information, stories, and insights from titans past and present.

#### Connect with Gregg

- [Follow Gregg on Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/greggmajewski)
- [Follow Gregg on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@greggmajewski)
- [Follow Gregg on X (Twitter)](https://x.com/Gregg_Majewski)
- [Follow Gregg on Threads](https://www.threads.net/@greggmajewski)
- [Connect with Gregg on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggmajewski/)

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