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Building a Coffee Empire: The Success Story of Mokas Coffee and Eatery

·42 min

Restaurant Technology Guys host Jeremy Julian interviews Jason Ingram-Manson, founder and CEO of Mocha's Coffee and Eatery and parent company JRI Hospitality. Jason started in the early 2000s by borrowing $30,000 from his grandparents (whom he grew up with on their farm) to purchase a small coffee shop in the Salina, Kansas mall. He grew the business to multiple locations over 20 years while simultaneously building Freddy's Frozen Custard into a 15-state franchise while his wife operated Mocha's. Around the late 2000s, he added a full food menu after noticing customers bringing food from competitors. In 2020, he opened a new modern Mocha's prototype location on March 8 - just eight days before the pandemic lockdown - but the drive-through capability allowed the business to thrive during stimulus-driven consumer spending. Over the past 18 months, he began franchising Mocha's with plans to reach seven corporate locations plus franchisee stores. Jason emphasizes that Mocha's brand centers on connection (logo shows two heads in conversation), not just transactions. He roasts all coffee in-house for quality control rather than price management. He uses a 'JRI High Five' decision framework and core values to filter all business decisions. He maintains a 52% loyalty rate (mid-20s is industry average) and stresses that quality, cleanliness, and hospitality never change as the business scales.

As heard by us

A grounded founder story about standards, balance, and the long work of scaling coffee.

Mocha's Coffee and Eatery reads as a steady restaurant-growth story, one that began with a $30,000 mall coffee shop in Kansas and grew over 20 years into a recognizable brand.

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Why you'd press play

A coffee-shop origin story with real menu mix, franchise growth, and operator-level detail.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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