This article was originally published in Franchise Times, sister publication to Food On Demand.
After 15 years in operation, Just Love Coffee & Cafe’s mission statement has remained the same: Be excellent. Be genuine. Be a catalyst of love.
As the coffee shop concept approaches 60 units in nearly 20 states, Just Love Coffee’s Director of Operations Ed Thompson said this human-centric, community approach rings true as the brand tackles nationwide growth.
“We can make a real difference in a community by our mission statement, our belief system, our understanding that this is a people business, and we have to make them feel good,” Thompson said. “When I’m training these owners on service and culture, I tell them … ‘Nobody should have better service than you. That’s your mindset. That’s what’s going to keep people coming back.’”
Dine-in orders have benefited as a result, with Thompson estimating 65 percent of Just Love Coffee’s sales occur within the four walls.
While on-premises development continues to be a staple, Thompson said he sees opportunity to grow the brand’s nontraditional footprint and capitalize on off-premises sales.
Just Love Coffee isn’t alone in this approach, with some of the strongest-performing coffee concepts, such as 7 Brew and Scooter’s Coffee, operating only through drive-thrus. Other franchises, like Ziggi’s Coffee and PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, are expanding their drive-thru presences.
Just Love Coffee is readying to open its first drive-thru-only cafe in Tennessee, one of three Thompson said the franchisee plans to open.
The brand is also exploring nontraditional growth in malls—the first of which is set to open next month in Fairfax, Virginia—as well as airports, kiosks and outdoor food courts.
To accompany this growth, the brand has taken a refreshed approach to operations and menu innovation.
Just Love Coffee is rolling out its new core menu, nicknamed Just Love 2.0. Cafes can offer a couple of local menu items, but most food and beverage offerings will remain the same systemwide.
Consistency is the focus during this rollout, something Thompson admits got away from the brand for a while. Operational refinement is key in getting back on track, he said.
The company is approaching this goal head on by implementing in-person refresher trainings for existing operators and will soon launch a monthly newsletter with operational tips for franchisees.
This year, Thompson and his team have visited with franchisees at their units to gain a better sense of unit-level operations.
“When we visit a store, we want them to be glad that we’re coming and not like we’re the police coming to bust them for something,” he said. “I want to be able to say, ‘That’s really good. I’m going to share that with other people.’ Or I want to say, ‘If you do that like this, it might work out better for you, and this is why.’ We want to have an atmosphere where they truly believe we’re there to help them.”
The cost to open a traditional Just Love Coffee unit ranges from $494,500 to $759,500, according to its franchise disclosure document. Average unit volume in 2024 was $521,270.
In addition to nontraditional growth, the brand is building upon catering and other off-premises sales. Catering amounts to about 10 percent of the brand’s revenue, Thompson said; the same goes for delivery sales.
Since partnering with ezCater nearly four years ago, Thompson said the company’s best-performing units are those leaning into catering.
Off-premises sales benefit the community through the company’s “Coffee with a Cause” initiative, selling specialized bags of coffee with proceeds going toward special causes on a local and national scale.
“It expands our reach, but also it’s not that difficult to do,” Thompson said of off-premises sales drivers. “It’s stuff you already have … and it creates awareness and gets people to say, ‘Hey, I want to go there.’”
