Mo-Joe Coffee

Okay, my girlfriend works at a large Federal agency very near here. Here’s a guy who sets up a very nice, generator-​powered coffee cart every weekday on this corner to compete head-​to-​head with three close-​by Starbuck’ses, a Cosi or two, Loeb’s deli, all the fast food places, etc. etc. The espresso is pretty decent (not nearly as good as Illy – see my review of Upper Crust Gourmet – but better than Starbuck’s). Maybe he doesn’t get big «green» points (and I’m sure he also doesn’t get that many greenbacks either), but there are DC cabs passing by giving out more greenhouse gas in a few miles than he probably does all day. It feels right to give your business to a would-​be Horatio Alger instead of a multi-​tentacled corporate entity, and it also feels cool to transact all your caffeine deals in an «open air» corner setting, in broad daylight, a block from the White House. No, he doesn’t have a side business. So why is he even there knocking himself out then? I found this from Washingtonian:
«One postmoratorium vendor, Marcus Lopez of Mo-​Joe Coffee at 15^th Street and Vermont Avenue, has figured it out for himself. Back in March, we predicted that his snazzy stainless-​steel cart and full-​service coffee menu would signal a wave of entrepreneurs going beyond the half-​smoke. And although he still sets up at 7 AM every weekday, his java-​and-​Jamaican business is, sadly, just java for now. His father’s jerk-​chicken wraps were popular with nearby Export-​Import Bank employees, but because of health problems, his father can no longer produce the family recipe. Lopez is looking into selling savory pastries filled with diced meat, potato, and onions, which he recently saw all over Chicago. He’s confident they’d do well at lunchtime on his busy McPherson Square corner, and he plans to taste-​test brands soon.»
Hmmm…as much as I LOVE the half-​smoke, I also love savory pastries. Right on – I hope this guy’s dad gets better and that he can add some lunch products to his coffee cart. If you’re at McPherson, give this guy a try instead of just heading to the big guys. (Not affiliiated in any way with this business other than as a customer).