THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050503
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Commuting coffee lovers, take heart.
You can now get your morning mocha on the way to work without ever leaving your car.
Virginia Beach residents and others have discovered the convenience of ordering specialty coffee beverages at Coffease, a drive-through coffee kiosk at the corner of Little Neck Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard.
In people's time-starved lives, something as simple as leaving your car to get a java jolt can be a huge hassle. Coffease caters to the convenience of getting a good cup of coffee without the psychological guilt that you're taking a big bite out of your schedule.
``You don't have to sacrifice quality for convenience,'' said Michael Ball, a drive-through customer in the retirement planning business who pulled up to the region's first coffee booth for his daily dose of caffeine at 8:35 a.m. Tuesday.
Just ask Bruce Morgan, who lives in the Great Neck neighborhood of Virginia Beach and works in Portsmouth.
With son, Michael, and daughter, Kelly, in tow, he drives up regularly to the two sliding glass windows of Coffease to get his morning cup of joe before dropping his children off at day care. He does not have to leave his children, who are strapped comfortably in their car seats, unattended while he buys coffee.
``It's a lot easier than going to 7-Eleven,'' said Morgan, who works at Portsmouth General Hospital. ``It's a better cup of coffee.''
Owners Shelly and Gerard Helminiak, think so too.
Shelly, who helps run the daily operation by operating the compact, two-person booth, credits dashes of flavor, like amaretto, in a great blend of coffee as the key to the coffee's taste, as well as the other little details of syrups, whipped cream and quality chocolate.
The Helminiaks, who already own a ship-repair firm and a snack-vending business, imported the idea of the drive-through coffee kiosk after seeing it on the West Coast in cities like Seattle. That city, regarded as the nation's coffee capital, is home to Starbucks, considered among the pioneers of specialty coffee.
Coffease serves about 250 customers daily and benefits from the area's car culture. Most Hampton Roads residents must drive to get anywhere, said Gerard Helminiak. Coffease appeals primarily to a college-educated, middle-class clientele that enjoys coffee, he said.
``It's a small indulgence business,'' he said. ``You don't need to take out a mortgage to get something. It doesn't cost you a ton of money.''
For example, a mocha - an expresso drink with chocolate and steamed milk - costs $2 for a short cup. Cappuccinos and lattes, both made with expresso, steamed milk and milk foam, cost $1.75 for a small cup.
Customers at Coffease are not limited to the drive-through variety. Walk-up customers from the Old Dominion University/Norfolk State University Higher Education Center and bicyclists from nearby neighborhoods frequent the stand. A 13-year-old on his bicycle once rode up to the window to order a cappuccino, Shelly said.
Coffease is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Because the venture has been so profitable, the Helminiaks soon stay open until 10 p.m.
They also plan to open six other booths in the next 22 months.
``The idea that makes this business is we're the first one on the block,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: JIM WALKER/Staff color photos
Shelly Helminiak serves a customer at Coffease, a drive-through
coffee kiosk at the corner of Little Neck Road and Virginia Beach
Boulevard.
by CNB