Gregorys Coffee has signed its first franchise agreement, and the franchisee is about as homegrown as it gets. Stavros Zamfotis — younger cousin of founder Gregory Zamfotis — spent nine years working inside the brand, climbing from barista to district manager before signing on as the company's inaugural franchisee in Bergen County, New Jersey.
The move signals how Gregorys Coffee, the New York City-born specialty coffee concept now partnered with Craveworthy Brands, plans to expand beyond its corporate roots. Rather than recruiting outside investors with deep pockets but limited brand knowledge, the chain's first franchise deal went to someone who has worked every level of the operation — a deliberate choice that reflects a growing industry conversation about operator quality over capital speed.
For multi-unit restaurant groups and emerging franchise brands, the Gregorys model raises a pointed question: who makes a better first franchisee, a seasoned multi-brand investor or someone who has spent years inside your own four walls? The answer here was clearly the latter. Stavros Zamfotis's progression from first shift to signed agreement represents the kind of succession narrative that builds genuine brand culture, not just unit count.
Gregorys Coffee has built its identity around specialty-grade coffee and a distinct urban café experience since its founding in New York City. The partnership with Craveworthy Brands — the multi-brand operator behind a growing portfolio of franchise concepts — has positioned Gregorys for scaled growth while preserving the craft-forward positioning that defines the brand. The New Jersey agreement marks the first formal step in that franchising strategy, with Bergen County serving as a logical proving ground given its proximity to the brand's existing New York footprint.
For operators tracking specialty coffee's franchising trajectory, the Gregorys story is a reminder that franchise-ready doesn't always mean outside capital. Sometimes the most qualified operator has been in the building all along. Coverage of similar emerging brand stories can be found across the Food & Beverage Magazine network.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
