OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — At Green Beans Coffee Company, it's about more than a good cup of coffee, it's about supporting our military.
"We're the first family, veteran-owned cafe owned in the country, and we're still the only standalone cafe that's not on a military base or at an airport," said owner John Sievers.
The company first got started over 20 years ago by starting up coffee shops at bases overseas to serve active military.
"You're definitely going to get a veteran feel here. We have our memorial wall here in the back, honoring our fallen, and we've got our soldiers cross in the front honoring our first responders and veteran fallen, so yeah, very supportive of our veterans and military," Sievers said. "I'm a 26-year veteran myself. Green Beans Coffee has been serving the troops for over 20 years. They're very well-known for their cup of joe, for a joe where for as low as $2.50 you can buy somebody a cup of coffee that's deployed."
A portion of their proceeds goes to organizations that supports veterans. So when the pandemic hit, Sievers worried about the economic impact that would have on his business and the overall programs to help vets.
"I was scared for the company, I was worried about my family, nobody knew how it was going to go" he said.
He says he's lucky he didn't have to let any of his nine employees go.
"Being in this state, we never had to completely close down," Sievers said. "We did close the lobby, and it was takeout for quite a while there, but the drive thru continued to support the business."
Sievers also started using third-party delivery services like Grubhub and changed some things inside the shop.
"We've put up shields at the counter for staff and customers for safety," Sievers said. "We work with a local sanitation company. They were coming in bi-weekly, and now they comes in weekly."
Sievers says many of his customers continued to support their business during those tough weeks, whether it was coming to get a coffee, pastry or lunch item, which he says he's extremely grateful for.
"As soon as cabin fever started setting in, people were wanting to get out of their houses too, and running over to Green Beans Coffee to get their fresh-baked muffin or breakfast sandwich gave them the opportunity to get out of the house and see a friendly face," Sievers said. "We're very well known for our customer service. People just like to come here, and my staff knows everybody by name and what their drinks are. So I think everybody needed that to get through these difficult times, so it worked out for us."
Green Beans Coffee Omaha
LOCATION:
6831 S. 167th St. Omaha, NE 68135
HOURS:
Sunday: 7AM - 4:30PM
Monday - Saturday: 6AM - 4:30PM
*Drive-thru opens at 5:45AM Monday- Saturday and 6:45AM on Sunday
SERVICES:
Drive-thru, takeout, delivery, in-store
CONTACT:
402-891-6143
