In with the new at VML!

Hey, our great customers at VML included a profile of JAVA GOGO in their company e-newsletter - thanks VML, we're glad to serve you!

Cancun Fast and Pronto is Delicious and Good

Here at JAVA GOGO you know we love to try new KC restaurants. We found a gem a couple weeks ago on a Sunday morning when we were strolling around midtown with Little Duder. We were heading to the Broadway (hey, we love great coffee and can't always drink our own!) and then to Mill Creek Park to see the latest art installation. The whole enterprise took so much time that by the time we were heading home we were really hungry ... and in Westport on a Sunday. To our delight, we strolled past a new place: Cancun Fast and Pronto. Don't worry about the name -- or the mismatched URL -- there are many reasons you should try it:

• It's in a former gas station: seriously, who can argue with anything in a former gas station? NO ONE should even try arguing with fomer gas station location deal. Major style points
• It's really good: Hey, for midtown Mexican, we love Rudy's as much as the next person, but the Cancun Fast and Pronto is fresh and delicious, authentic and lovely
• It's locally-owned: Please don't eat at Chili's in Westport! If you see a Chili's ad and feel the urge, your Pavlovian response should be to go to Cancun Fast and Pronto and order the fish tacos without delay!

Address: Pennsylvania, across from the Westport Beach Club. And a rare Westport bonus: EASY PARKING!

JAVA GOGO for your office meeting?

Looking for refreshments for a morning meeting? Did you know that JAVA GOGO can provide you with full pots of our GOGO blend, GOGO decaf, or Coffee of the Day? Just swing through the drivethru and let us know how much you need, and we'll brew it right up, and provide you with fresh coffee in disposable airpots, plus cups, cream, sugar and everything else you'll need to perk everyone up! Or call us in advance at 816-421-JAVA and we can get it ready for you by the time you get here.

Also, if you know at least one day in advance, we can provide an assortment of our muffins or cookies as well. Got questions? E-mail josh@javagogokc.com.

New Hours at JAVA GOGO

By popular demand, we are staying open a little later on Saturday and shifting our hours on Sunday. Please note that now we are open 7 AM - 5 PM Saturday and 8 AM - 12 PM Sunday.

Introducing Baby Eli

Amy and I are the proud new parents of Eli Harrison Winger Sitzer, born on June 6 at 11:33 am. He weighed in at 8lbs, 12 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.

Mom and Baby are doing great, and Dad is helping the best he can. Good thing we have ready access to lots of coffee.....

The NBA in KC

With the Sprint Center in progress, I personally think it is imperative that Kansas City get an NBA team (whether or not we also get an NHL team). This town is already crazy for college basketball, especially KU, but also MU and KSU. So the city is full of good, educated basketball fans who will love the NBA. It's just a matter of getting used to the style of play. But watching the Pistons-Cavs playoff matchup last night, I know that KC fans would LOVE having one of those teams represent us. KC would really get behind them.

I've heard critics talk about how they don't play defense in the NBA, or how the regular season doesn't matter. But I would argue that they have have not watched the NBA game closely enough. The skills that these athletes bring to the court every night is just thrilling. And there's no denying that having an NBA team makes your city "big league." So step up KC, push for an NBA team to come to town. Do I hear the KC Sonics?

JAVA GOGO is NOT a franchise

In the few weeks we've been open, many of you have asked us if JAVA GOGO is part of a chain or a franchise. The answer is no. JAVA GOGO is a brand new Kansas City business. The owners Amy and Josh live here about 15 minutes from the shop.

Amy and Josh first experienced drivethru coffee in (of all places) Fargo ND. We were so excited to be able to grab coffee without having to get out into the North Dakota elements (brrrr). Then Josh took a trip to southwestern Oregon where he experienced drivethru coffee nirvana--there were coffee drivethrus EVERYWHERE. He was convinced that this would work great in Kansas City. So he came back and worked with Amy to create JAVA GOGO.

NKC Business Council Trade Show

Thursday April 20 we participated in the trade show put on by the North Kansas City Business Council. It was a great event, and we got to meet lots of our NKC neighboring businesses. What a cool, thriving community we have! When people came to our booth, we told them the JAVA GOGO story and gave them coupons for a free drink of their choice--since then a bunch of them have already come to check us out!

One of our favorite visitors to the booth was the Northtown Hornet--here she is with Amy (who is expecting our first baby this June).

Well wishes to friends in the STL

Several folks from my running posse trekked over to St. Louis this weekend for the St. Louis marathon this morning. If the weather there is anything like it is here in KC, the weather should be perfect! Randy, Josh, Greg, I hope you have a great run. Wish I was there with you!

3 customers

Patty came by for the first time yesterday. She saw my t-shirt for the 2004 San Diego Rock-N-Roll marathon and asked me about it. It turns out she ran it too! I told her that San Diego was a tough run for me. It was hot that day. I hit the wall at mile 16 and had to gut out the last 10 miles. Brutal! Wish I'd had an iced mocha that day....

Evan works at the Chad Franklin Auto dealer next door to JAVA GOGO. We've set him up every day this week with a cup of our current featured coffee--La Minita from Costa Rica. It's a wonderful, mild single-origin cup o' joe. At this rate, he's going to earn a free cup pretty darn quick. Thanks Evan!

Sara works at the license bureau inside of PETCO (right next to JAVA GOGO) and she has come over for a drink three out of four days since we have been open. Her first time she tried a hazelnut coffee, but then she realized she wasn't much of a hazelnut fan! Since then she's settled on our Ice-Blended Mocha GOGO with a shot of Irish Creme. We may have to name that drink after her. Maybe the Sara Smile????

WOW, the customers are amazing

So three days after opening and we are having a great time. The best part has been getting to know some of our customers. A few of them have come ALL 3 DAYS. Now that's loyalty!

So far people seem to love the caramel macchiato and white chocolate mocha (who wouldn't) for hot drinks. But in the afternoons--which have been kinda warm--they love the smoothies and ice blended drinks, especially the caramel and mocha ice-blendeds.

All of them seem to like our GOGO cards which give them a free drink after they buy 10....

Spring is Here!

The weather is warming up, trees are budding, flowers are blooming, baseball is starting, people are firing up their grills--we personally fired up the weber grill and did burgers, brats and chicken last night!!!--and JAVA GOGO is opening!!! We open tomorrow April 3 at 6:00 AM. With the warm weather we know people are going to love, love, love our fruit smoothies and ice-blended drinks. I'm personally addicted to our Chai Tea GOGO ice-blended drink. But if chai is not your thing we have nine other flavors to try......

I'm Voting Yes on Questions 1&2

OK, here is the first non-JAVA GOGO related post. Jackson County residents vote Tuesday on a sales tax that will fund rennovations to Arrowhead Stadium and Kaufmann Stadium, homes of the Chiefs and Royals and another one to fund a rolling roof that will cover both stadiums. I have decided to vote yes. Here are my reasons.

1. Having major league teams in KC keeps us a major league market. This impacts consumers willing to move here and businesses willing to locate here.

2. The vast majority of stadiums in the US are supported by public funding. There is no reason to think that KC would be any different. If we want major league teams here, we need to pony up.

3. Jackson County is currently in violation of its leases and without funding renovations, the teams are legally allowed to become free agents if they want to look outside of KC. Passing this tax means we are 100% sure to keep the teams here. If the tax doesn't pass, someone might come up with another way to keep the teams here, but this is NOT a sure thing. It's a gamble.

4. Some opponents of the tax want new stadiums (including a baseball stadium downtown) rather than rennovating the current ones. I originally agreed with them. Downtown baseball sounds great to me. But the team owners are on record as saying they don't want that. So if we don't pass the tax, there is no guarantee that a downtown ballpark will be on the table.

Plus, the renovation plans look very impressive. Modernizing the existing stadiums will make them state-of-the-art without getting rid of the designs that people already know and love--the fountains of Kaufmann, the sight lines of Arrowhead. Our stadiums would be unique from all the other new ballparks and stadiums--let's face it, some of them are as "cookie-cutter" as all the ones built in the 60s. And no one will have the rolling roof that is on the table. That thing will be off the hook!

5. Superbowl and MLB All Star Game in Kansas City. Sign me up.

JAVA GOGO ready for prime time!

We have now put the finishing touches on the NKC location. With awnings and menu boards up and the parking lot striped, it looks official. This probably explains why on Thursday we had about ten different cars pull up and try to order! Since we weren't officially open, we made them drinks for FREE and asked them to come back again after we open officially on Monday. We did the same for the PETCO and DMV employees who stopped by to check us out.

Our employees

JAVA GOGO has hired its first employee, Lindy W.

Lindy is 20 years old and new to the coffee business. She is smart and eager to learn. She looks forward to meeting our customers and making some great lattes! We're very excited to have her!

coffee choices

We've decided to offer four coffees on a daily basis at JAVA GOGO. They are the JAVA GOGO house blend and house decaf blend, a rotating single-origin coffee of the day, and a rotating flavored coffee of the day. The house blend is amazing! But we want people to be able to experience the variety of some of the great single-origin coffees that are out there. Our first one will be from the La Minita Estates in Costa Rica. Smooth and mild, a wonderful way to start your day!

Opening Day is April 3

I just realized that JAVA GOGO will share its opening day with the KC Royals and most of the rest of Major League Baseball. As a lifelong baseball fan, I take this to be auspicious. Now let's see if the Royals can win a few games this year.....

Only 6 days from opening!

Now that we're getting close to opening JAVA GOGO in North KC, here are a few pictures of the construction process. After the months it took to get all our approvals, it's amazing how quickly the construction has gone.

First we fenced off the site.











Then we poured the foundation posts.














Next we trenched in our plumbing






















After the building arrived from South Carolina we rented a big old crane and hoisted the building up on to the foundation.

















In the last few days, we've poured concrete for curbing. Almost Done!