Adding to its popular food truck, Winston's Coffee & Waffles has opened a restaurant in the new East Market in the Old Towne East neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Both its Clintonville and Old Town East locations receive ongoing support from the coffee shop startup experts at Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Winston's Coffee & Waffles now has two locations in Columbus, Ohio! Adding to its popular food truck in Clintonville, Winston's has opened a restaurant in the new East Market in the city's Old Towne East neighborhood.
The new restaurant opened with support from award-winning Columbus coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.
Winston's is the culmination of a dream that unfolded over 30 years. Owners Steve Elshoff and Katie Bolon originally planned to launch a neighborhood coffee shop, craft brew and wine bar in 2020.
"But then a little thing called COVID-19 came knocking," Elshoff recalled. "Since it wasn't safe to host our friends and neighbors indoors, we pivoted to a food truck!"
"In October 2020, we introduced something Clintonville and all of Columbus had never seen before: a food truck that serves world-class espresso drinks and one-of-a-kind waffles."
The waffles have developed almost a cult following among Columbus foodies. As one Google reviewer wrote:
"My new Saturday reward. I pick up a waffle & the best coffee I've ever had after yoga at Ashtanga Yoga Columbus on Saturdays. They have gluten free options & the Oaty Honey Lavender Latte is amazing. The waffles have to be tried to be believed. Lovely staff."
"Now, we've brought our deep-pocketed sweet and savory waffles and terrific espresso drinks to Old Town East," Bolon said. "Since the new Winston's opened in May, we've been greeted by a steady stream of new and repeat customers."
Elshoff and Bolon chose Crimson Cup as the coffee partner for Winston's.
"Their products are outstanding, and the service is beyond reliable," Elshoff said. "Beyond the quality and reliability, their people are excellent."
Among other accolades, the roaster's exceptional craft and specialty coffees have earned top honors at the Good Food Awards, Golden Bean North America, and Roast magazine's Roaster of the Year.
Crimson Cup also provides coffee business consulting to customers like Elshoff and Bolon through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, which teaches entrepreneurs with little or no coffee knowledge how to open a coffee shop.
"A big part of our mission is to help entrepreneurs like Steve and Katie bring their unique vision for their coffee business into reality," said Founder and President Greg Ubert. "Winston's Coffee & Waffles is a unique concept with a bright future. We look forward to helping them continue to grow."
Crimson Cup's 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup consultants guided Elshoff and Bolon through every step, from writing a solid coffee shop business plan to laying out the new Winston's location, sourcing equipment, training baristas, marketing to customers and more.
The coffee shop startup program is based on Ubert's book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-Sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee.
Through this program, the Columbus roaster has helped over 300 entrepreneurs in 30 states start unique coffee shops in their local communities. In 2021, 19 new shops opened through the program. The new Winston's Coffee & Waffles is one of at least 18 planned for 2022.
As a one-stop shop for independent coffee shops, Crimson Cup also supplies award-winning coffee, the best coffee shop supplies in the business, and ongoing support to help coffee businesses thrive.
"The coffee consultants at Crimson Cup truly care about their work and their customers," Elshoff said. "They care about our success. Having vendors that are invested in your success is huge!"
Like Winston's, a growing number of Crimson Cup customers are expanding to two, three, four or more locations.
"Crimson Cup's ability to serve customers around the country means however much we expand, they'll always be able to meet our needs," Elshoff said. "I don't worry about Crimson Cup, on any level, which frees me to worry about other things."
He noted that growth brings new challenges. "I think the key to overcoming them is to surround yourself with great people – partners, employees and vendors. Being honest with them about your needs and expectations is also essential."
"We're very much still learning, but it's also exciting to reach a new community, and to expand our team. One advantage to expanding is the confidence you gain from meeting challenges, which both your customers and team can sense. After that, success begins to breed success."
Elshoff had this advice for other entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting a coffee shop or restaurant:
"Surround yourself with good people at all levels. I believe the keys to our success are great people, great products and great service. It's that simple."
"There's a terrific sense of accomplishment from creating something from nothing, and seeing it come to life through constant work and collaboration."
For coffee shop owners who are thinking about working with Crimson Cup, he said, "Call, kick the tires, ask the questions. Meet with them and share your vision. You won't be disappointed."
Elshoff and Bolon invite everyone in Columbus and Franklin County to visit both locations of Winston's Coffee & Waffles. The food truck can be found at 3859 Indianola Avenue across from Weiland's Market. The new East Market restaurant is at 1600 Oak Street.
To keep up with events and announcements, including hours and new menu items, follow the Winston's Coffee & Waffles Facebook Page.
About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.
Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup – driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.
Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop.
Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact
Cheryl Claypole, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, 614-361-5023, [email protected]
SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
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