What's in a name?

Posted on September 24, 2025

So many of the options available to American consumers (especially the options that are most obvious because of a substantial marketing budget) are overwhelmingly same-y. When you walk into a big box store and you’ll have roughly the same experience as you would anywhere else in the country. Fast-casual chains used to imitate the local restaurant (it’s been a while since I’ve been to Applebees… do they still do that?), but more often they look like they’re completely disconnected from any sense of place or identity. Like a brand new condo being staged for a sale: no history, no personality, just a blank slate that potential buyers can project their ideas on to. That’s a good idea for selling a condo, but it’s not a good way to make a place that people want to be.

GSBC is a lot of things. And one of those things is a rejection of the private equity vibe that we see elsewhere. I’m not trying to make something sleek and futuristic and soulless. I’m not trying to make something that appeases the algorithms of global corporations. I’m trying to make great coffee for my neighbors. And I’m trying to contribute to the sense of place of my favorite stretch of Montauk Highway.

The name “Great South Bay Coffee” is both a reminder of that place, and a constraint I’m placing on myself. My “territory” is the area around the Great South Bay. I mean, if you throw enough money at me, I’ll haul my trailer out to the Hamptons. But as a general rule, GSBC is meant to operate within a bike-ride of its namesake bay.