04/25/2023
Dear Customers and Community,
Because the word has already been shared publicly ahead of our planned announcement, I suppose it makes sense to formally acknowledge to our friends and fans that Reverie Roasters at Mojos is set to be closed permanently by Saturday, May 13th. We appreciate the sincerity offered to our staff and team as we work through the difficult challenges of closing a business.
18 months ago, we were presented with an opportunity to purchase Mojos Coffee Bar in North Newton, KS. After 15 months in operation, we have decided to cut our losses and close this store. This enables Bethel College to reclaim the venue and reassess what the community needs and what it will support. We were admittedly naïve in thinking in today’s climate a premium coffee shop on a small college campus could be successful while competing with the cafeteria. Once inflation is factored in, we admittedly misjudged the opportunity.
Without a doubt, serving the North Newton community on Bethel College campus has been immensely rewarding. Most notably, the staff we continued employing after purchasing the business in 2021 are a gift. They are all friendly, funny, and truly talented at work and in their various pursuits. We employ artists, musicians, athletes, actors, and more. We value them equally—or more—as friends and employees. Currently, we are seeking ways to continue employing as much of the staff as possible both in Newton and Wichita.
It is toughest knowing we may have let our team down at Mojos. Perhaps we could have changed the menu or pushed additional social media posts to get the word out. Perhaps our commitment to offering living wages to all staff members affected our ability to be profitable, though it doesn’t seem to be an issue for any of our other locations. However, the fact remains that communities vote with their dollars; this reality is why we are withdrawing from this endeavor before causing further damage to our business.
Reverie Roasters Express at 220 E 12th St. in Newton continues to operate as normal. The first drive thru only location for Reverie opened in late March 2022 and continues to perform exceptionally. No changes are planned for this or any other Reverie location. Your continued support at Reverie Roasters Express is much appreciated. All gift cards and loyalty points can be redeemed at any of our locations in Newton and Wichita.
While this story is mostly not good for the customers and staff, I think it’s important to recognize that we were able to make this decision before causing irreparable damage to our business. The old version of me could have ridden this pony all the way into the ground, jeopardizing the livelihoods of over 44 employees and their families. But I’m proud we took the time to tell our staff directly and committed to working through this process together, even though we didn’t get to share this news directly with our customers and fans first.
We hope you find it in your hearts to understand the difficult decision we made. We will finish out the semester with the students and wish them well into the summer. Our roots are planted in the Newton community, so we’re not quite finished with the work we are doing. We look forward to seeing you at the campus café or at one of the many civic events our leadership team and employees attend or serve throughout the year.
See ya soon- Andrew Gough, Owner
