Changes brewing at coffee shop
The Daily Grind Unwind franchise store, which has existed in Lexington for the past five years, is going independent.
 |
| Brashears says that Daily Grind stores in other areas have closed or reopened independently in the past year. (CAMERON STEELE/Rockbridge Report) |
Jill Brashears has owned the coffee shop all this time, and when her contract with the nationally franchised chain was up for renewal this month, she decided she wanted more freedom.
“We wanted to maintain a small-town
feel and to make more decisions on our own,” said Brashears, who on Nov. 1 renamed the shop Java23 after its address at 23 S. Jefferson St.
Brashears and her husband, Tom, became an equal partnership after declining to renew the Daily Grind contract. She said that the Virginia-based coffee shop franchise was good in the beginning because the franchise model provided her with the stability and structure that she needed as a young business owner.
But the newly married Brashears said the recent economic crisis, coupled with pressure from the rapidly growing Daily Grind franchise, changed her mind about continuing as a franchisee.
“It was easy to work with them [the Daily Grind] in the beginning, but they want you to comply with their standards,” she said. “They became more cookie-cutter than they were before.”
By going independent, Brashears does not have to keep the walls of her shop a certain color as Daily Grind requires. She will take all of the Daily Grind logos out of her shop and redecorate it to her own taste.
Brashears said that Daily Grind stores in other areas have closed or reopened independently as well. The Staunton location went independent around the same time that Brashears put up her “Java23” sign. The Salem Daily Grind closed down in September after its contract came to an end.
Brashears said she thinks that going independent could be a growing local trend because the franchise requires store owners to make changes and buy all-new equipment during contract renewal.
“Buying new equipment when mine worked just fine seemed stupid,” Brashears said, “especially given the economy.”
But Amy Stoup, the Daily Grind’s area developer, said the company must be doing something right. At a time when major coffee chain Starbucks had to close more than 600 stores nationally, the Daily Grind continued to prosper.
“The Daily Grind Unwind allows franchisees to add a unique flair to each shop,” Stoup said. “We are growing pretty rapidly here [in Virginia].”
Stoup and Daily Grind CEO Leo Tudela attributed much of that success to the franchise’s unique concept of being both coffee shop and restaurant.
“In addition to being a true coffee house, we fresh roast the coffee, and we have sandwiches, salads, and paninis,” said Stoup. “It’s an all-day approach. Instead of just serving coffee, we have a full menu.”
Tudela agreed.
“Having a café menu is a huge benefit to both our customers and our franchise owners,” he said.
 |
| Java 23 owners declined to renew a Daily Grind contract to pursue an independent coffee business. (CAMERON STEELE/Rockbridge Report) |
It is an approach that Brashears plans to keep. The drinks will have new names and the sandwiches will be tweaked, but Brashears said the all-day menu and hours will stay the same. And the new sandwiches and meal options have given employees a chance to create their own specialties.
Brashears said she plans to launch a new advertising campaign for Java23, something she never did before. One idea is to promote a different specialty drink each day. For instance, customers could enjoy a variety of mocha-flavored drinks on “Mocha Mondays.”
Brashears also wants to promote Java23 by catering events around the city. Recently, the coffee shop catered for the Sonoklect program’s Monty Alexander Trio concert at Washington and Lee’s Wilson Hall.
Brashears said she hopes this new hands-on approach will increase business.
“Over the past five years, business has been pretty consistent for the Daily Grind. But hopefully, business will be better at Java23 because we’ll have more freedom,” she said. “In Lexington, the small-town feel just makes sense.”
Watch Java23's manager comment on the changes in store for the local coffeehouse
Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
Prof. Doug
Cumming
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd