For a man who doesn’t drink coffee, Luis Madrid sure knows his beans, and has parlayed that knowledge into a new location for Coronado Coffee Company at 1180 Rosecrans Street, Suite 101, in Point Loma.
Well known around Coronado, Luis actually got his start in the coffee business at age 14, making $5 pushing the Café del Sol coffee cart and setting it up outside the former Bay Books location before school every morning. He then made an additional $5 putting it away after school.
“I gave my mom that money to buy groceries to feed our family, and I was happy to be helping,” he shares. By age 17, he was getting $7 an hour as a barista at the cart. Two years later, the owner Steve was moving and selling the business, so Luis took his entire savings of $22,000 and went all in to buy it and renamed it Café Madrid. Luis has built a reputation for serving delicious coffee, tea, smoothies, acai bowls, and pastries, but more importantly he is known for his connection with his customers. I experienced this firsthand when I moved here eight years ago and I remain loyal for the best mochas on the island and the friendliness he and his staff exude.
When Bay Books relocated, Luis was left without space for his coffee cart in January 2020. Fortuitously, he was able to again go all in and buy Coronado Coffee Company and Lil’ Piggy’s B-B-Q from David Spatafore and Blue Bridge Hospitality, with whom he had a second job at the time. He remembers the exact day he took over — March 16, 2020 — the day many equate as the first official day of the COVID pandemic. Working through the pandemic, he not only survived but thrived with Coronado Coffee Company’s best year ever, and has increased the business yearly by 25 percent.
As a hands-on owner, he really wasn’t looking to expand, but when an opportunity in Point Loma was brought to his attention, he collaborated with his good friend and tattoo shop owner Esteban Benitez. The two connected in 2020, when Esteban was a coffee customer, and have been great friends ever since. The timeline for getting the new location open was frustrating for the like-minded duo who said the permitting process took eight months. Opening on December 22, their first customer arrived at 5:45 am, with a steady stream of business throughout the day, even though it was raining. He already feels welcome and brings the same laid-back friendly vibe of his original shop, where staff know customers by name and drink order, and allows regulars to pay later if they forget their wallet. Just as he does in Coronado, he envisions also giving back to the Point Loma community.
The menu at the larger Point Loma location is similar to Coronado, with the addition of sandwiches like the smoked chicken salad sandwich with smoked meat from Lil Piggies B-B-Q. Other favorites include the smoked ham and brie, with fig jam on a fresh baked croissant and then heated in the panini press, and the PB toast with organic peanut butter, banana, honey, and cinnamon slathered on Texas toast. So far, one of the best-selling drinks is the banana shaken espresso, made with homemade banana milk, which he hasn’t even debuted in Coronado, because he can’t keep up with the demand to make fresh banana milk. He notes that the special lattes are always the best-selling drinks, like the Cinnamon Toast Crunch latte, with real Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk and the Mazapan latte, with the Mexican peanut candy. Both locations also offer an assortment of teas, snacks, smoothies, acai bowls, and Bread & Cie pastries.
The Coronado location averages 500-700 drinks per day, with their biggest day ever topping 1700 drinks. Already in Point Loma, they are averaging 200-300 drinks daily. With lots of options to get coffee both in Coronado and Point Loma, these numbers speak volumes about how much people appreciate choosing to go to an independent coffee shop, where they are not just a name in the crowd. With Luis and his staff, customers feel seen, know that they care, and can share what’s going on. Luis says he enjoys hearing upcoming travel plans and stories of the latest adventures.
From an original six employees, there are now 50 between his three ventures. “I consider my employees to be part of my dysfunctional family. When I interview people, I can tell within two minutes if they will fit with our crew, and current staff often give feedback on who to hire. It’s important for me to include employees, so they feel ownership and help our company grow. We celebrate birthdays, weddings, births, and so much more,” said Luis, whose son will be joining the business full-time after college graduation.
With all this new responsibility, Madrid is busier than ever and plans to work consistently at both locations. The new Coronado Coffee Company is open 5:30 am to 7 pm, and is located at 1180 Rosecrans Street, #101, in Point Loma. Visit @coronadocoffeeco on Instagram.
