Innovative coffee franchise continues to expand national footprint as community-minded entrepreneurs fall in love with the concept
Many people come to Nashville, Tennessee, looking to jumpstart their careers as songwriters on Music Row, but Dee Chernicky came for the coffee.
An experienced entrepreneur based in Northwest Florida, Chernicky was thinking about opening an independent coffee shop in her community when she decided to investigate the buzzy Nashville coffee scene for ideas. It didn’t take her long to discover Just Love Coffee franchise – and before she knew it, she fell in love.
It’s easy to see why. Just Love Coffee franchise is the perfect business for community-minded entrepreneurs who want to serve exceptional coffee, an innovative full daypart menu cooked on a waffle iron and give people a place to gather, enjoy, work and relax – day-in and day-out.
Cherniky just celebrated the grand opening of her first Just Love Franchise location in Destin, Florida, and her local newspaper, The Destin Log was on hand to cover the event. Here are some highlights from the article:
Customers poured into the bright, open-concept cafe early opening morning to get a taste of the franchise’s two main offerings, coffee and waffles. Dee Chernicky, former owner of Shake’s Frozen Custard in Destin, opened Just Love after seeing a need for larger coffee shops in the area for meetings and small gatherings.
Chernicky, whose son owns Tango 3 Coffee Company in Niceville, said it was while on a trip to Nashville to learn about the area’s coffee shops that she stumbled upon the Just Love Coffee franchise. A local pastor, Chernicky then decided to ditch the idea of an independent cafe and move forward with starting Just Love in Northwest Florida.
“Just Love Coffee is an upscale coffee cafe with a stage so we can have live music,” Chernicky said. “The atmosphere is really nice. It’s 3,600 square feet and inside and out we can seat 110 to 120.
“It’s the Christian lifestyle that we are about,” she continued. “We’ll have open mic night and Bible trivia.”
Just Love Coffee is unlike anything else in the booming coffee shop segment
Founded in 2009 as an online coffee service to help raise funds for families seeking to adopt children, Just Love Coffee Cafe has blossomed into a franchise concept with multiple locations open in the fast growing metropolitan area of Nashville, Tennessee. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee Cafe is an opportunity for first-time and experienced entrepreneurs, as well as savvy investors to get in on the ground floor of the most exciting investment opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
“Just Love Coffee & Eatery is truly unlike other coffee shop experiences on the market today,” says Robb Webb, CEO and founder of Just Love Coffee. “Most coffee shops are directed toward the connoisseurs, while Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have a product for the masses. We fill the niche that is somewhere in the middle, which is currently wide open and needs some disruption. Our coffee can satisfy the elitist of coffee connoisseurs — we can tell them the story of how we source the beans, how we only buy fair trade coffee through reputable third market vendors and how we then roast our beans by hand — but our customer service can satisfy the person whose preference is a cup of Folgers. There’s so much room to grow, as far as the market, that I really see Just Love Coffee Cafe taking off this year and beyond. We hope to be in hundreds of communities in the coming years because we know that there is a wide open space for us to succeed.”
Ready to bring a Just Love Coffee to your community?
Nashville Business Journal taps Rob Webb for its annual roster of company leaders noted for their businesses, ethical employment practices, products and more
The Nashville Business Journal has released its 2018 Most Admired CEOs and Their Companies award winners, and Just Love Coffee CEO and founder Rob Webb is on the list.
The awards were given following a process that began with nominations, grouped those people and companies into categories, and then moved through a closed voting process that created the final list.
Brand vision impresses judging panel
While the judging panel had a lot of companies to review, it’s likely that Just Love stood out for its high-quality beverage and food offerings, as well as the story of how it came to be.
“Just Love Coffee has a remarkable history in that it was created not just as a great place to get coffee, but also a warm, welcoming place to eat and hang out with friends,” says D.J. Smith, Marketing Director. “It’s a combination of great products and a business model that is very compelling, and it’s obvious the judges were impressed with Rob’s vision, and what Just Love has been able to do since Just Love began.”
Awards and accolades likely to continue
The concept, products and vision of Just Love that the Nashville Business Journal found appealing are likely going to draw attention from other quarters as well. Just Love Coffee franchise owners also are getting noticed in tier communities, and more awards and honors such as this one doubtless will follow.
“Just Love Coffee franchise owners share Rob’s vision of a business that can do good while it is doing well, and that’s very compelling for people who are evaluating businesses that are making a difference,” Smith says. “Everyone at Just Love will say that they’re not doing this to pick up trophies, but it does show that this is a business that can help franchise owners achieve financial independence while also making a huge difference for their friends and neighbors.”
After the launch of two successful locations in Nashville and Brentwood, Tennessee, one of the hottest cities in the nation, Just Love Coffee is primed for expansion in 2018. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee & Eatery is an ideal investment for both new and experienced entrepreneurs who want to get in on the ground floor of the most exciting business opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
Outstanding coffee is one of many differentiators for Just Love, which is why franchise owners are building business even in the most competitive markets
The United States, its urban areas in particular, doesn’t lack for coffee shops. Even so, some are far better than others, and that’s because they have found ways to stand out and meet consumer demand in attention-getting, positive ways. Every Just Love Coffee Cafe franchise falls into that category, because at Just Love the coffee is the linchpin of a business that offers so much more.
“Just Love was created because our founders love great coffee, and also because they believed that a business can do more than offer great products; it can be a true community asset,” says Alan Thompson, President. “Just Love Coffee Cafe franchise owners show how that’s possible every day.”
First, there’s the coffee
Just Love’s award-winning roasters have created multiple high-end specialty blends for Just Love and have done so without being fussy or elitist. Many retailers, including Whole Foods, have noticed these clean, bright flavors and now carry Just Love-branded products on their shelves. Coffee-driven millennials and other enthusiasts have gravitated to them as well, allowing Just Love franchise owners to enjoy additional income through a thriving bean-retail business.
“Because we work with growers around the world to obtain organic, fair-trade beans, we further Just Love’s mission of creating a loving culture,” Thompson says. “Just Love proves that you can have the highest quality coffee without the pretentiousness — treat every customer with dignity and respect, and they’ll enjoy every visit.”
Ambiance also a key differentiator
Also setting Just Love apart is its vibe, which founder Rob Webb wanted to be family friendly and casual, in line with his original concept of a business geared toward helping people create and grow families. The result is a cafe that allows families and friends to meet up and unwind rather than rush in, order from a harried barista and be hustled back out. Whether it’s a casual business meeting or date night, Just Love has created a relaxed, inviting space similar to European style coffee shops.
Food offerings also create buzz and interest
Certainly not last is Just Love’s diverse food offerings, available all day long. A fun, quirky menu, with many items made on waffle irons, is easy to execute and gives franchise owners close to a 50-50 mix on food vs. beverage sales, creating higher revenue and a resulting larger profit margin.
After the launch of two successful locations in Nashville and Brentwood, Tennessee, one of the hottest cities in the nation, Just Love Coffee is primed for expansion in 2018. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee & Eatery is an ideal investment for both new and experienced entrepreneurs who want to get in on the ground floor of the most exciting business opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
After years working in IT, this food-industry veteran has found a brand that speaks to him personally and professionally as he builds for his future
When a new Just Love Coffee cafe franchise opens in Shelby Township, Michigan, later this year, it may have some extra tech-oriented bells and whistles. That’s because owner Olsi Kapoli is a longtime IT veteran with time at General Motors and Hewlett-Packard under his belt. Before he got a degree in information systems and security, however, the Albanian native had a long history working in restaurants — and he is eager to return.
What got you thinking about a return to food service?
As I have been working in IT, I have also been working in the food industry in various capacities. I’m 33 and probably have been working in restaurants for half my life. My father’s cousin had a coffee shop in Albania, so I have seen that part of the industry up close. I also did some bartending, and after moving to the United States I worked at some chain restaurants as a server, bartender and manager while I was going to school. I’ve even worked at a golf club restaurant.
Whenever I would stop working in food service and just do IT work, I found I missed the interactions with people. I like talking to different people, and I like working in the food and beverage industry. So I began looking around to see what options were out there in terms of owning my own operation.
What part of owning a Just Love Coffee cafe appealed to you?
My wife and I purchased an apartment as a real estate investment, and then we decided to begin growing a real estate business. It’s great, but it’s not what I wanted to focus on. Then we thought about owning our own restaurant because my mom is a great cook. We were looking at something that would be cheese and meat platters, beer and wine, something not found in the local market. We fiddled with a menu, began looking around — and realized it was going to be too expensive.
You often see new restaurants, even great ones, go under because of all that expense. My wife suggested looking at franchising, and while I liked the idea I didn’t want to open another location of anything that was already here. We certainly don’t need another Starbucks or Subway. I wanted something interesting, and when I began searching I found Just Love. It caught my eye immediately; I didn’t even think it was a coffee place at first!
There are lots of places to get coffee; how is Just Love different?
As I researched the brand, read information and watched videos from the founders, I really liked what they were all about. And then when I began looking at the food, I fell in love with the waffle idea — we don’t have that in the Detroit area, so I would be bringing something new here. I reached out and spoke with some franchise owners, and then I spent some time in Nashville and was just amazed. It’s not just a coffee shop; it’s a place to meet friends, to have a meal, to even listen to entertainment. It’s so welcoming and so different from other coffee-bar concepts that are out there.
How else do you think Just Love stands out?
It doesn’t churn customers. They come, are welcomed and hang out as long as they like. Just Love uses mugs; I love that. My wife and I loved Friends, and a big thing about that coffee-shop set, Central Perk, is that they used mugs and silver, not cheap throwaway stuff. It feels like an authentic, friendly place and not just another coffee place or restaurant.
What else about Just Love’s onboarding process eased your mind?
Everyone we met with was so eager to help. We had help with finding a great location, and also with the next steps of hiring builders and getting the location ready. My favorite part has been getting the sign up, because we’re in a busy area and want people to know something great is coming! I also am very reassured by all the conversations we’ve had about training, not just for ahead of time but during and after we open, so that we have all the operations down and everything runs smoothly from the outset. Everyone has been very generous with their time and attention, and we are just so eager to be open and serving our friends and neighbors.
After the launch of two successful locations in Brentwood and Nashville, Tennessee, one of the hottest cities in the nation, Just Love Coffee is primed for expansion in 2018. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee is an ideal investment for new or experienced entrepreneurs who want to get in on the ground floor of the most exciting business opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
Family-friendly, fun vibe sets Just Love apart from other players in the booming coffee cafe franchise sector, as these Austin owners are finding out
Just Love Coffee Cafe franchise owners come from all walks of life — that’s one of the amazing things about the business. It has a strong appeal to all kinds of people, both as customers and as franchise owners. For Austin, Texas, residents Chad and Marie Talley, the idea of owning a business that fit in beautifully with their lifestyle and community was too good to pass up.
What led to your decision to open your own small business?
Chad: I’ve been working for Dell for the past 11 years and currently am a Director of Global Process Engineering. I have a strong management and business background, and I also teach and mentor a college and career class at our church. I wanted to find a way to combine my experience and mentoring in a way that would also work as a business. Just Love offers us that.
Marie: I also work with Chad as a mentor for young adults and have spent the past 10 years at home with our four children. My background is as an operations manager, including time overseeing the planning, purchasing and logistics of a robotics company. Like Chad, I wanted to bring the skills I have developed to a business that we would own, but that would also be a meaningful space for ourselves, our friends and community.
How did you find out about the Just Love Coffee Cafe brand?
Chad: We had been talking about opening our own business and were really just toying around with the idea — we hadn’t settled on any particular concept or what that would look like. I had a work-related trip planned in Nashville, and so I was doing some searches to find activities in the area where I’d be staying. I came across one of the Just Love locations there, and after visiting I found out there were franchising opportunities. From there, the pieces began to fall into place.
What made Just Love stand out for you?
Chad: We like that Just Love is integrated into the communities where it has locations. It’s a part of something, and we want to have a business that ties into our relationships with schools, friends, church and everything else. Now our work life can be a part of that larger picture.
Marie: I like the heart of it. We had talked about starting a coffee shop, but nothing beyond that as an idea. When we saw Just Love, both in terms of what it started out doing and what it looks like, we realized that it was very close to what we would want our business to look like. Why recreate the wheel? These people weren’t just serving coffee, they were serving the community. They want to better the community. We saw what they believed, and it matched completely with what we wanted.
How do you see your business plugging into your community?
Chad: So many ways. One big aspect of Just Love is “coffee with a purpose.” They began with the premise of helping people with adoption and have grown to be supportive of so many other worthy organizations. At the same time, they have built a business model that is financially rewarding to franchise owners. We see ourselves doing the same thing, on a smaller level, with the many community groups here that need support. We’re passionate about helping others, and we want people to have a place where they also can support their own passions. The culture of Just Love matches the culture that Marie and I want to grow; it’s more than just offering a product, but what they’re all about.
How has the corporate team engagement helped?
Chad: They have been a fantastic resource. We’ve been looking at several sites, and they were with us as we closed in on a location in the North Austin area. We are glad to have that support, because I am still working at my Dell job and Marie is still shifting back into workforce mode and still focused on our children. This is a big life transition for us, and they are helping us so that anything we face doesn’t create bigger challenges. Now we’re gearing up to get open this fall and are so excited about what’s next for us and for Just Love in Austin.
After the launch of two successful locations in Brentwood and Nashville, Tennessee, one of the hottest cities in the nation, Just Love Coffee is primed for expansion in 2018. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee Cafe is an ideal investment for new and experienced entrepreneurs who want to get in on the ground floor of an exciting business opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
Just Love Coffee Café family of franchises is entering new markets outside Tennessee home base
Just Love Coffee Café’s simple business model is attracting investors nationwide. Low startup costs, a revenue-generating all-day menu and a community-centric culture are selling points for entrepreneurs seeking an attractive and potentially profitable entry into the competitive food space.
2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year of robust development and double-digit growth for Just Love Coffee Café. Led by an executive team with proven experience in growing franchise systems, Just Love Coffee Café is an ideal investment for new entrepreneurs, as well as for experienced investors who want to get in on the ground floor of a standout business opportunity in the $12 billion U.S. coffee shop industry.
“This is an exciting time to launch a Just Love Coffee Café,” says Rob Webb, CEO and founder of the Just Love Coffee franchises. “People really crave community and want to frequent family-friendly local businesses that serve a high-quality product. Just Love brand encourages and embraces these concepts like no other coffee brand I’ve seen — our impressive first-quarter growth is proof of that. We’re a business founded on love for community and family; we give back, and we provide a potentially profitable business for entrepreneurs.”
Domestic growth takes off for Just Love Coffee Café
Just Love has expansion agreements pending in several new markets outside our home state of Tennessee, including: Austin, Texas, Savannah, Georgia, and Detroit, Michigan. Our community-oriented coffee shops with high-quality, hand-roasted coffee, great food and excellent customer service will do well in nearly any market, and we’re attracting franchisees
in a wide variety of locations.
“It used to be that coffee shops were prevalent in urban areas and on the East and West coasts,” Webb says. “That’s no longer the case. The cafe culture is growing nationwide as people crave great coffee, food and community. Just Love Coffee’s growing brand recognition
is positioning us as a go-to place customers know they can rely on.
“Customers typically fall in love with our high-quality coffee first, and then they discover how amazing our food is. Our food sales consistently outpace our coffee sales, and we’re introducing many menu items in 2018 to bolster our food revenue.”
Streamlined business model is versatile for any location
Just Love Coffee Café coffee shops are successful as freestanding locations and as strip-center end caps. The business model is designed to suit a space, no matter the size. This means our locations can be unique to their physical space and to the communities that love us.
Take our Nashville-area locations, for example. Our Demonbreun Street location downtown is in the heart of the business district. It’s also just off the famous Music Row and near several city university campuses. Our Murfreesboro-area location is more suburban and also attracts local college students. Our Brentwood location is in a predominantly upscale suburban retail district.
Just Love Coffee Café is a great opportunity for first-time entrepreneurs or savvy investors. Learn everything about coffee franchise cost
We are the rare coffee shop franchise opportunity that doesn’t require any experience either running a restaurant or being an expert in coffee — all we require is that our new franchise owners are passionate about our brand and about making their business successful. We also continually fine-tune our franchisees’ training, and we are rolling out a new online training program to help franchisees excel as local coffee-shop owners.
