About
Hi, I’m Rick. Great South Bay Coffee is basically me in a trailer (and sometimes my wife) making coffee and other drinks (lemonade, hot chocolate, that sort of thing).
I officially opened for business in 2025 at Bayport Flower Houses on Montauk Highway. Before this I was an economics professor. And like so many middle-aged office workers, I wanted something different. I needed something physical and offline. Conventional wisdom would say the way to change careers as a professional is to get an MBA. But I’ve spent too much time in school (and I’ve seen how the sausage is made). So I decided to make my own MBA by starting a business. It’ll cost as much, but the lessons learned will be far more valuable. I asked myself what I know more about than most of my neighbors and coffee seemed natural because I’ve been roasting my own since grad school. Worst case scenario on this business is learning and a great espresso set up.
So GSBC is something I’m figuring out as I go. But the gist of it so far (6 months in) is that I’ve found a niche serving specialty coffee in a chill neighborhood setting. By focusing on quality, authenticity, and approachability I’ve created a tiny little place where you can get a great shot of single-origin espresso, or a cinnamon-vanilla latte made with house-made syrups. Or a lemonade that’s never existed in powdered form (and if you’re geting a lemonade, you really ought to try one of the fruit or floral syrups in that!).
Quality is straightforward. You just put in the work and avoid cutting the corners that a multi-national corporation inevitably will. The other big component to my niche is community.
After a lifetime of moving back and forth across the continent, I’ve found my community in the stretch of South Shore Long Island along the Great South Bay. When I’m on this stretch of Montauk Highway, I just feel better. And Bayport Flower Houses is one of my favorite places on that stretch! Bayport has been super welcoming, and I love that I’m in a place where people walk and bicycle and talk to their neighbors! The nursery is already a beautiful place to drink a coffee and it’s a family business that’s been part of the community for almost a century already.
Community is much more difficult than quality, but I feel like I’ve been able to just drop right into the middle of things!
So what is GSBC at this point? It’s a neighborhood coffee joint that’s also worth going out of your way for. Come check it out!
last updated: Feb 24, 2026