Biggby Coffee makes its Ormond Beach, and Florida, debut

Ormond Beach Observer
Business

The new Biggby Coffee shop on Granada Boulevard is the first to open in Florida, but it may not be the last.

BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER

Randy Frank grew up in the midwest, and even after spending fourteen years in Florida, he hasn't forgotten his roots.

Frank's connection to the midwest is what led to Ormond Beach’s newest coffee shop, Biggby Coffee, at 1345 W. Granada Blvd., which opened May 28.

“It’s a Michigan-based company, and I’m from Michigan,” Frank said, sitting in the coffee shop, greeting customers as they walked in. “I’ve been here for 14 years. I consider myself a Floridian. And I saw the excitement around the coffee, so to speak, for years. I’ve (also) been in the restaurant industry for many years. It’s a natural evolution to go on your own.”

In the year Frank spent preparing his new business, leading up to the May 28 opening, he attended a five-week training course in East Lansing, Mich., at the company's headquarters, learning about the brand, the product and its approach to coffee.

When he returned to Ormond, he said he took a hands-on approach to the construction of the coffee shop. It was his first new-business build that he'd take on himself, and he wanted to make sure he learned as much as possible.

The closest Biggby Coffee to Frank’s Granada Boulevard location is about 250 miles north, making it the first in Florida. It's also the most southern location of 171 franchises.

But there’s a tradeoff, Frank says, with being the first Biggby Coffee to open in Florida, so far from where the brand is known and established.

“It would be foolish not to realize that there is no brand recognition,” he said. “That means that you’re not going to be coming out of the gates as strong as you would up north.

“But the great thing is, this is a first in Florida. So to be on the ground floor of something new in the area, much less the state, that will make up for any loss of brand recognition.”

But if Frank has anything to say about it, it won’t be the last Florida location.

“I can see myself going as far as New Smyrna (Beach), or even Lake Mary (or) Heathrow,” he said. “Of course, this one has to be a success, but I’m determined.”