- 14 hours ago
From cozy hangouts to pioneering chains, these coffee shop franchises once inspired caffeine lovers across the country before disappearing from storefronts. Join us as we take a nostalgic look at the beloved coffee brands that couldn't keep up with evolving tastes and fierce competition. Whether it’s the iconic Shops Coffee Shop or Seattle’s Best Coffee’s final brew, these brands left a lasting mark on coffee culture.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:05Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most popular coffee shop franchises to have
00:12somehow crashed over the years.
00:14Today, Martin is considered to be one of the pioneers of the coffeehouse movement throughout the United States.
00:21Number 10. Ships Coffee Shop
00:24Emmett and Matt Shipman only ran three coffeehouses all around Los Angeles, but their reputation grew exponentially across 40 years.
00:33First opening in 1956, Ships Coffee Shop was known for its sleek, modern architecture and for having a full menu.
00:41Locals and tourists could hang out for as long as they wanted at any of these three 24-hour locations.
00:47Thanks, Amy.
00:48Can we have some more coffee, please?
00:49By the 1980s, though, they were overwhelmed by the boom of dedicated dining chains that just so happened to serve
00:56coffee.
00:57Ships ultimately shut down with its original Culver City location in 1996.
01:05Sorry.
01:06It nonetheless lives on as a representation of both LA's modern business ideals and the realities of modern competition.
01:14Number 9. Foxtrot
01:16Mike Lovatola and Taylor Bloom of Chicago went against the grain when they founded Foxtrot in 2015.
01:22At Foxtrot, we do things differently.
01:26Where many specialty coffee houses focused on a casual atmosphere, they targeted convenience-minded customers as a curated bodega.
01:34The key was ensuring that their food and drinks were premium quality.
01:39Yeah.
01:40Some people say that taste-testing hundreds of different products to find the right one is obsessive.
01:44Who says that?
01:47Foxtrot embarked on an ambitious expedition of eclectic aesthetics and services that led to 33 locations by 2023.
01:55Unfortunately, the goal was 50.
01:58This business model wasn't sustainable, even after major executive appointments and a merger with Dom's Kitchen and Market.
02:05Thus, the hybrid company, Outfox Hospitality, abruptly shut down all Foxtrot stores in 2024.
02:12Confusion, sadness, surprise.
02:14People across the D.C. area were left perplexed after showing up to their coffee spot and finding out it
02:20had been shut down with zero notice to both customers and employees.
02:23As Lava Tola retains brand rights for new business ventures, hopefully, he's learned to manage expectations.
02:31Number 8.
02:31Chock Full of Nuts
02:32Don't worry about not getting any nutty notes from your cup of chock full of nuts.
02:37The name actually derives from a chain of nut shops in New York City, whose prospects look bleak during the
02:43Great Depression.
02:44Chock Full of Nuts
02:46Is that heavenly coffee?
02:49A better coffee a billionaire's money can't buy.
02:54William Black thus applied the brand to a modest coffee and sandwich counter that thrived through years of economic turbulence
03:01on quality.
03:02By 1953, the coffee was being sold in grocery stores and at nearly 30 chock full of nuts shops.
03:08But it was the purchase of the iconic yet failing Rheingold Brewery in 1973 that devastated Black's assets.
03:16Because chock full of nuts is richer and stronger.
03:18You get one third more cups and that saves money.
03:21His coffee chain died with him 10 years later.
03:24Thankfully, chock full of nuts is itself iconic enough to still be a popular grocery item.
03:32Number 7. Seattle's Best Coffee
03:35That's a bold claim in the coffee capital of the United States.
03:39It's pouring in Seattle.
03:43Sounds delicious, doesn't it?
03:46SBC. It's pouring in Seattle.
03:49The wet whiskers sure tasted bold enough to be called Seattle's best coffee when it first debuted on the waterfront
03:55in 1970.
03:5621 years later, the coffee and ice cream chain's 11 locations rebranded to reflect their title at a local competition.
04:04Seattle's best coffee continued to expand as a corporation throughout the 1990s, but was outpaced by its main rival.
04:12One part coffee, two parts ice, three parts secret cold elixir.
04:18Starbucks, purveyors of coffee, tea, and sanity.
04:21Starbucks finally bought the budget-friendly chain in 2003, then massively expanded it until the brand became more lucrative in
04:29groceries.
04:30Its shops were on their way out by the time it was sold to Nestle in 2022.
04:35Seattle's best remains popular in retail, but its brand no longer tastes accurate.
04:40We all have rough days, but always smooth Seattle's best coffee can make any rough day a little smoother.
04:46Here, have some smooth Seattle's best coffee.
04:50Mmm, smooth.
04:526. Torre Fazione Italia
04:55Stewart Brothers Coffee welcomed friendlier local competition in 1986.
05:00An Italian immigrant, whose father was a roaster, Umberto Bezzari, founded Torre Fazione Italia as an authentic homage to the
05:08cafes of its homeland.
05:10It wasn't long before he partnered with Jim Stewart to franchise his premium coffee and pastry shop as a companion
05:16to the future Seattle's best brand.
05:19Torre Fazione operated around 20 cafes across the U.S. by the time its parent company was sold to Starbucks
05:25in 2003.
05:26His prospects limited by non-compete agreements.
05:30Bezzari returned to Italy while his American dream gradually transitioned into a wholesale-only brand.
05:36But through his son, Emanuele, the family tradition continues to flourish through the internationally popular Café Umbria.
05:43I think at the end, if everybody's proud of what to do, you're going to have a great product.
05:485. Pasqua Coffee Company
05:50The third wave coffee movement's standards in creativity and comfort were raised further in San Francisco in 1983.
05:58Pasqua Coffee Company then steadily grew through the premium quality of both its beverages and its lunch items.
06:05Every morning in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, thousands of people start their day at Pasqua.
06:11We provide a terrific cup of coffee and a great place to work.
06:14By 1997, 56 locations raked in enough capital for a merger with the New York-based coffee station that was
06:22expected to rival Starbucks.
06:24Instead, a devastating collapse in the deal led to Pasqua being bought by Starbucks the following year.
06:31Delicious Starbucks double-shot espresso drink. Bring on the day.
06:34Every store was subsequently rebranded under the new parent company's name.
06:38Pasqua's downfall was so historic that the details of its own history have become muddy.
06:43What is clear is its impact on making food quality more than just an afterthought in coffee chains.
06:49The key to quality is attention to detail.
06:52And when it comes to coffee, Pasqua never cuts corners.
06:554. The Coffee Connection
06:57George Howell's ascension in the third wave coffee movement began in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1975.
07:04I'm in love with coffee. And that's what drives me.
07:08The Coffee Connection offered nothing but the best and specialty brews for the busy students of Harvard Square.
07:14It most notably developed a blended dairy treat that Howell dubbed the Frappuccino introduced in 1992.
07:21It was incredible. It was like one of the biggest days in the stock exchange because we were the only
07:28game in town.
07:28By then, his groundbreaking brand had more than 20 locations around the American Northeast.
07:33Unfortunately, the franchise was struggling to keep up with operation costs while a certain West Coast rival was mounting an
07:40aggressive expansion.
07:42So in 1995, Starbucks bought the Coffee Connection and became even more iconic for their modified Frappuccino.
07:49New Starbucks Frappuccino ready to drink. The perfect treat for any moment.
07:55Your Starbucks coffee, whenever, wherever.
07:58Howell remains an active coffee titan, but we take his initial vision for granted with no remaining evidence.
08:053. Borders Books and Music Cafes
08:08Tom and Lewis Borders were always looking to liven up book shopping after their business in 1971.
08:14It became a fully casual experience in 85 when Borders introduced coffee bars and music at select locations.
08:21After a 1992 merger with Kmart and Walden and a 2004 partnership with the Starbucks subsidiary Seattle's Best Coffee,
08:30most of Borders' hundreds of locations had cafes.
08:33It was coffee that revolutionized corporate bookstores as hangout destinations.
08:37And yet, an extensive series of missteps led to Borders declaring bankruptcy in 2011.
08:43In February, the book chain filed for bankruptcy, hoping to reorganize and stay in business.
08:49But today, its representatives were in court with a plan to liquidate its remaining 399 stores beginning as early as
08:57tomorrow.
08:58All of its bookstores in the U.S., along with the coffee houses therein, subsequently shut down.
09:03While the brand still exists in foreign markets, the music has died for the iconic yet overambitious franchise.
09:10And so they became places where you could go, you could sit, you could, you know, sit and have a
09:15cup of coffee.
09:16But Borders also made some strategic mistakes there.
09:19They lost a Starbucks contract to Barnes & Noble, for instance.
09:22Number two, coffee people.
09:25Where would the coffee culture of Portland, Oregon be without Jim and Patty Rogers?
09:29The couple founded Coffee People in 1983 with an emphasis on personality and premium beverages that appealed to youths.
09:37Jim Roberts and his wife, Patty, started brewing coffee in the 70s.
09:42It wasn't until 1983 that Coffee People was born.
09:47The brand eventually became a leader in the third wave coffee movement as it expanded to around 40 locations and
09:54developed the modern drive-thru service.
09:56But that humbleness would be the company's undoing after it went public in 1996.
10:02But after going public and expanding too fast, they sold the company.
10:07Two owners later, many coffee people locations were taken over by Starbucks.
10:12Capital Strains forced them to merge with Second Cup two years later, then sell to Dietrich Coffee the following year.
10:19Coffee People finally shut down its chain in 2016, but remains in retail.
10:24Meanwhile, the Rogers' returned to their roots in 2002 with the mom-and-pop chain Jim and Patty's.
10:30Jim and Patty's Coffee started up 22 years ago, serving coffee and good vibes to people who latched on to
10:37the local favorite.
10:38Number one, Dietrich Coffee.
10:40You can practically follow the modernization of an American industry through Dietrich Coffee.
10:45Martin Dietrich founded their first cafe in 1983 with a planting and retail tradition going back to South America in
10:52the early 20th century.
10:54From 1972 to 1982, Carl drove his 1962 VW van, the 3,000-mile round trip from California through Mexico
11:05to Guatemala and back.
11:07His family ran the specialty coffee chain from its gradual expansion around Orange County, California to a boom after it
11:14went public in 1996.
11:15The acquisition of rivals fueled this shaky expansion until Martin stepped down in 2004.
11:22After the company went public, rapid expansion continued, and Dietrich Coffee bought several other coffee chains, such as Gloria Jean
11:31and Coffee People.
11:32Dietrich Coffee then sold most of its cafes to Starbucks before selling its retail assets in 2009.
11:39Now the brand is applying over a century of experience to elite roasting equipment.
11:44Our roasters include the IR series, devoted to in-restaurant small-batch perfection,
11:50and the CR series, that can handle large, custom-roasting creations.
11:55But those who visited Dietrich Coffee shops are still shocked that the buzz couldn't sustain the chain.
12:00Which defunct coffee shops still perk you up with nostalgia?
12:04Give your order in the comments below!
Comments