Gregorys Coffee, a specialty coffee brand with 36 locations across New York and New Jersey, has signed its first-ever franchise agreement, ending nearly two decades as a purely company-owned operation. The franchisee is Stavros Zamfotis, a younger cousin of founder Gregory Zamfotis, who spent nine years inside the business rising from barista to district manager before taking on this entrepreneurial role. The deal marks a new chapter for the brand, which joined multi-brand platform Craveworthy in 2025 and formally launched its franchise program in 2026.
Gregorys Coffee was founded in New York City, where it built a loyal customer base it calls “Gregulars” through a combination of small-batch roasting at its own NYC facility, a scratch-made food program, and a daily-ritual store experience. After nearly 20 years operating exclusively in one of the world’s most competitive coffee markets, the brand grew to 36 locations without franchising — a deliberate choice that preserved quality control but limited scale. That approach changed when Gregorys joined the Craveworthy platform in 2025, which provides shared services in operations, culinary, supply chain, technology, and real estate to support multi-brand franchise growth.
A Family Member Who Grew Up Inside the Brand
The choice of Stavros Zamfotis as the first franchisee carries clear symbolic weight. Stavros joined Gregorys as a barista and advanced over nine years through store operations and district management, overseeing a district of eight locations and contributing to the brand’s growth from five to 36 sites. As a Bergen County, New Jersey native, he brings geographic knowledge of a core market alongside operational expertise in the brand’s systems. His agreement covers a location in his home region.
Specialty Coffee Franchising in a Crowded Market
The specialty coffee segment has long been dominated by independent operators and large chains such as Starbucks and Dutch Bros, with relatively few independent specialty brands successfully transitioning to franchise models at scale. Gregorys enters franchising from a position of brand recognition in dense urban and suburban Northeast markets, where competitors for the specialty segment include regional players and the continued expansion of national drive-thru concepts. The Craveworthy platform, which includes other restaurant brands, provides Gregorys franchisees with access to infrastructure that individual operators would otherwise need to build independently.
What Comes Next for the Franchise Program
With the first agreement signed, Gregorys Coffee’s franchise program is now operational. The brand has not publicly disclosed target unit counts or specific markets for further development beyond the initial Stavros Zamfotis agreement. Gregg Majewski, Founder and CEO of Craveworthy, described the model as designed for operators who combine entrepreneurial drive with deep familiarity with brand standards — a profile that Stavros’s trajectory from barista to franchisee is intended to illustrate. Prospective franchisees interested in the brand are directed to Craveworthy’s franchise development channels for current availability.
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