Gregorys Coffee Signs Its First Franchisee

Gregorys Coffee has signed the first franchise agreement in its history, and the operator behind it started as a barista. Stavros Zamfotis, who spent nine years inside the company and rose to district manager, will open his first location in Bergen County, New Jersey. The brand, now part of the multi-brand platform Craveworthy Brands, launched its franchise program earlier in 2026.

Why a Brand's First Franchisee Matters

A franchise program lives or dies on its earliest units, because those stores set the template every later franchisee is sold against. By handing its first agreement to an operator who helped scale the chain from five to 36 shops across New York and New Jersey, Gregorys lowers the execution risk that usually shadows a launch. The choice also signals something to outside operators weighing the brand, since the people who know it best are the ones buying in.

The Platform Behind the Deal

Gregorys joined Craveworthy Brands in 2025, and its franchisees plug into Craveworthy's shared services across operations, training, culinary, supply chain, technology, real estate, and marketing. For a single-unit operator, that infrastructure replaces the back office a small business owner would otherwise build alone. It is the same logic that lets multi-brand platforms court experienced franchisees who want support without giving up ownership.

What Operators Should Watch

Gregorys is recruiting in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain West, and select West Coast markets, so the Bergen County opening becomes the first public read on its unit economics as a franchise. Operators considering the brand should track how fast that store opens and how it performs against the company-run shops. A coffee concept's margins hinge on throughput, and the first franchised unit is where that math gets tested outside corporate walls.