Joe Coffee Company

When people leave, what do you hope they’re saying?

“That felt like my neighborhood coffee shop.”

Whether it is your first visit or your 23rd year walking through the door, we really mean what we have on our cups and doors: Where everyone is a regular and all are welcome. I receive every app customer review and Google review, and the ones that always stay with me are the regulars who appreciate the small things. Their name is remembered. Their order is being made before they even say hello. That one specific Joe feels like theirs, even if they visit another Joe when they are in a different part of the city.

What’s something guests might not notice but you care deeply about?

The regulars are what make Joe, Joe. Being 23 years old, some Joe cafes are now hitting 15 years plus, and each one has its own cast of regulars. There are the close-knit regulars who come in and out all morning at the OG Waverly location. There are the London Terrace regulars at Chelsea. There are the Upper West Siders who claim the big table inside, and when it is nice out, the bench outside. They become fixtures of the space in the morning and into the early afternoon. There is something comforting about hearing their muffled conversations, especially when someone new walks in and gets pulled into the group. It also ties back to the “New York Nice” idea we have on our cups. It is the small moments of kindness that happen in the cafes. Someone bringing in a crossword puzzle for the barista to work on during a slow stretch. Someone holding the door while a kid zips in with a scooter. Someone joining a conversation just because the cafe is small. Even with all the tech around us, the cafes still feel analog.

Where are you choosing to do less these days?

Do less, better. With shorter attention spans and everyone always looking for the next new thing, it is easy to feel pressure to keep adding more. More content, more drinks, more events, more everything. We definitely had a period where we added a lot of new drinks to the menu, especially as signature drinks became such a big trend. We learned a lot from that. What worked, what didn’t, what felt exciting, and what started to feel like too much. Now we have found more of a sweet spot with seasonal drinks. The same goes for content. Less can be better when it is more intentional. We do not need to post every day just to post every day. When something goes out, we want it to connect back to who we are and what we care about. Does it speak to the craft of coffee? The curiosity of learning something new? The community of humans who make Joe what it is? The commitment to producers, certifications, and organizations we partner with?

What should someone order on their first visit?

For Summer 2026, we would recommend two things. First, the Lychee Limeade Spritz because it is so refreshing and genuinely delicious. We also love that it came out of the seasonal barista beverage competition, where baristas can submit drinks to be added to the menu. Each season, one winner is selected to be featured, and they receive a cash prize. The other thing we would recommend is the featured drip coffee. It rotates weekly in the cafes and gives you a chance to explore something beyond the more expected chocolatey, medium-roasted coffees people might be used to. It can be more expressive, more unique, and if you are curious, you can ask the baristas about it or learn more about the producers on the Joe website.