Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Pascual.
Jonathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
This sounds hokey, but it all started with a dream. I was 22 and wanted to open up my own coffee shop some day in the far off future, but I wasn’t even a coffee drinker at the time. I walked into my local Starbucks (in Decatur) and asked for a job, and so jump-started my coffee career. From the beginning, I viewed every coffee shop I worked in as an opportunity to learn and acquire tools and tips for when I’d get to be my own boss. I had the amazing opportunity to move on from Starbucks to work for several other companies over the next decade, opening up and managing coffee bars, gaining invaluable experience while not putting myself personally at risk. I started what later became Chattahoochee Coffee, opened and managed shops for Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, and also worked coffee bars at Empire State South and Cakes & Ale. When the right place and the right time came up for me to open Taproom, my wife and made the decision and went all-in.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t know of any small business owner who could honestly say that it’s been a completely smooth road. For me, the biggest hurdles were in our initial buildout and startup funds. I unfortunately didn’t foresee construction issues and all the money that would be required to solve those problems, and it put me in the whole pretty significantly before we even opened our doors in 2014. However, I’ve been blessed to have a pretty good ride since then, and with the right structures and staff in place, Taproom has been able to cruise through the last three years, generally enjoying more success than failure. A constant tension is how to balance owning/operating a small business with a healthy home life with my wife and four kids, but I’d like to say that I’ve navigated that fairly well and have a well-balanced life at this time.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Taproom Coffee & Beer – what should we know?
Taproom is a specialty coffee and craft beer bar with the primary purpose of connecting people. We use coffee and beer as the means through which we foster positive community. When you come to our place, you can count on the highest quality espresso drinks and draft beer, great customer service, and a welcoming environment. One of the things that sets us apart in our industry is our innovation with our drink menu, particularly with how we carry the coffee/beer connection through all the way to the customer experience. We developed a few unique beverages that have migrated to the core of what we offer and how we project our identity – the most notable offering is called “Beerspresso” and it’s a flash-brewed nitro iced coffee with malt and hops, non-alcoholic but served in a beer glass.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Personally, it’s the drive to do everything to the best of my ability for the glory of God.
Taproom is reflective of that mindset and nature. At home and work, I try to live out a mission of humbly looking to the betterment of those around me, being service-minded and others-focused. Business-wise, a huge key to our success is being true to our concept and identity, striving for the highest quality while leveraging coffee and beer as tools for connecting people.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1963 Hosea L Williams Dr SE
STE R106, Atlanta, GA 30317 - Website: www.taproomcoffee.com
- Phone: 404-464-5435
- Email: info@taproomcoffee.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/taproomcoffee
- Facebook: facebook.com/taproomcoffee
- Twitter: twitter.com/taproomcoffee
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/taproom-coffee-atlanta
Image Credit:
Outlander Photography
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