Co-owned by longtime full-service restaurateurs Dave Jones and Connor Nerat, Spill The Beans is the business duo’s fifth and latest franchise location.
The others are in Gaslamp, Seaport Village, Mission Valley, and Pacific Beach. Ocean Beach’s only franchise is a drive-through.
House favorites at Spill The Beans Coffee + Bagel in Ocean Beach include flavorful Basic Stitch caramel, Blondie Mocha white chocolate, Cinna-Bee honey and cinnamon and Chagaccino vanilla bean coffee flavors.
Coffee varieties offered include drip, Americano, Double Espresso Cappuccino and Lattes, along with an assortment of cold brews, teas, milks and lemonades.
Foods offered, besides bagels, include egg dishes, breakfast sandwiches and fruit and loaded oatmeal bowls.
Jones and Nerat explained that the new franchise they created was an outgrowth of another of their restaurants, The Smoking Gun.
“We wanted to make a little sister restaurant, but the space there was too big for a coffee and bagels place,” said Jones.
“We wanted to expand the brand that we developed downtown,” noted Nerat, adding they wanted to find a new location “drawing morning traffic” because they were “passionate” about wanting to serve freshly-made bagels with roasted coffee.
At Spill The Beans, even the company’s business name is inventive. Jones talked about how their moniker came about. Turns out, it just sort of happened. “We were having trouble finding a coffee name that wasn’t trademarked,” he said, adding their future new name just popped up one night when they overheard a newscaster referring to sources ‘spilling the beans’ in a court case.
“That’s when the light bulb went on,” Jones noted, adding that phrase paired perfectly with their downtown eatery called The Smoking Gun.
Nerat added that the new business name worked well with their existing branding.
“Organic growth has always been at the heart of our discussions,” noted Nerat. “It was important for us to not to grow too quickly, to grow within our limits. What was most important to me was to operate to the best of our ability — but never sacrificing quality. That can happen with the more stores you have if you’re not careful.”
Both restaurant owners talked about the advantages of having a drive-thru in Ocean Beach, which proved invaluable their first year in business. “We get lots of locals walking up amid people just wanting to drive through,” said Jones.
“It’s a very unique concept,” agreed Nerat about their drive-thru, which he characterized as being of a “pit-stop” style.
“The idea is it’s not a box that you order from, going to a single window, then picking up your order. We want to have every opportunity to have a conversation with our customers. Our team members go right up to people in their cars, asking them how their day is. We wanted to create a fun vibe as people wait for their order. It also made sense for us to position ourselves and our business as part of the community.”
“We’re locally owned, roasted and toasted,” quipped Jones about their fit with Ocean Beach. “We are members of the community,” he said. “Our kids play in Little League here and go to local schools. We’re just blessed to be in Ocean Beach, where we love and adore other businesses like Pomas Deli, OB Noodle House, the Sunshine Company Saloon and Hodad’s. These are some of the most storied locally owned venues in San Diego. It’s been a dream come true for us.”
Spill The Beans Ocean Beach will be hosting a community party celebrating their first anniversary on a soon-to-be-determined date.
