Gregorys Coffee signs first franchise deal with former barista in New Jersey

Gregorys Coffee has handed its first franchise agreement to someone who came up through the bar side, naming a former barista who spent nine years rising to district manager as the operator of its first franchised shop in New Jersey. For a brand built on specialty credibility and neighborhood feel, the choice sends a clear signal: Gregorys wants growth, but it wants that growth to look and operate like Gregorys.

The move marks a major shift for the Manhattan-born coffee chain, which was founded in 2006 and said it now has more than 50 locations across the United States. Early 2026 counts put the company at about 54 stores, including 22 in New York City, two in Connecticut, three on Long Island and seven in New Jersey. Gregorys has long kept its core in New York and New Jersey, and its own franchise materials still describe the brand as rooted in those markets.

Craveworthy Brands, which invested in Gregorys in 2025 and became the brand’s managing partner, had already signaled that franchising was part of the plan. The company said Gregorys was ready to franchise in the fourth quarter of 2025, and launched the program in February 2026 with a first Franchise Open House at 2070 US-9 in Old Bridge, New Jersey, inside Glenwood Green Shopping Center. That event, held on February 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. ET, was the public starting point for a rollout that Gregorys and Craveworthy said would focus on urban neighborhoods, commuter hubs, college towns and lifestyle centers.

The brand’s expansion map is broad, with target regions including the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain West and select West Coast markets. Even as it grows, Gregorys has emphasized that its New York City roastery remains central to the operation and that coffee is still roasted by hand five days a week there. That detail matters in specialty coffee, where franchise systems can broaden reach while also flattening the standards that made a shop worth seeking out in the first place.

The first franchisee has also been identified in trade coverage as Stavros Zamfotis, a cousin of founder Gregory Zamfotis, adding another layer of continuity to the brand’s first outside-owned store. Gregorys has not disclosed franchise fees or initial investment requirements, leaving the biggest test where it belongs: whether a chain that grew as a tightly run, founder-driven specialty brand can keep its cup quality, cafe rhythm and credibility intact as it begins to scale through franchise operators.