Twenty-one years after opening its first café in Salina, Kansas, Mokas Coffee & Eatery is entering a new growth phase with the debut of its first-ever franchised location. The 3,100-square-foot café at 11814 S Fellows St in Olathe, Kansas, opened September 30, marking the brand's formal entry into franchise development after two decades of corporate-only expansion.
The Franchisee Behind It
Christian Coleman, founder and president of Midwest Restaurant Group, signed on as Mokas' first franchisee with commitments to build six total locations across Johnson, Douglas, and Shawnee counties. Coleman brings an unconventional hospitality resume to the venture — he launched his career overseeing VIP operations and sponsorships at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and became the youngest professional tournament director in tennis. He later co-founded Sunnyland Kansas Farm, an 80-acre organic operation, and developed a 20,000-square-foot industrial hemp drying facility in Newton, Kansas. The Olathe café is projected to create between 45 and 60 jobs, with Coleman's family also participating in day-to-day operations.
"Opening our first Mokas in Olathe is the realization of everything my team and I have been working toward," Coleman said. "This community has already shown us so much warmth, and we can't wait to bring that same Midwest hospitality to our guests every single day."
A Platform for Midwest Growth
Mokas is backed by JRI Hospitality, the Salina-based restaurant group that operates more than 145 units across 18 states and holds the distinction of being the largest franchisee of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Jason Ingermanson, president of Mokas Coffee & Eatery and CEO of JRI Hospitality, called Coleman's opening "a full-circle moment" for the brand following its 20th anniversary in November 2025. The Olathe location serves as the flagship for Coleman's planned Kansas City metro buildout.
The brand currently operates five corporate locations in Salina, Colby, and Wichita, with three additional corporate units under development in Wichita and Hays. Its menu centers on in-house roasted coffee, specialty drinks, smoothies, energy drinks, and freshly prepared breakfast and lunch items — a positioning that fits the fast-casual coffee-and-food daypart that has drawn significant operator interest across the restaurant industry in recent years.
For the first month of operation, Mokas Olathe will donate 10% of all 16-oz specialty drink sales to KidsTLC, a local nonprofit. The charitable tie-in reflects a broader community-partnership model that operators across the beverage-forward café segment have increasingly adopted to build neighborhood loyalty at launch.
With franchise infrastructure now in place and 15 additional locations reportedly under development in Wichita, Kansas City, and other Kansas markets, Mokas appears positioned to accelerate beyond its regional footprint. For multi-unit operators evaluating emerging coffee-and-eatery concepts, the brand's willingness to commit a seasoned hospitality group as its first franchisee signals a deliberate, experience-first approach to franchise recruitment.
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.
