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Their Cups Runneth Over
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:8EK@CP :C8; NFD<E ZXe j\cc aljk XYflk Xepk_`e^% @k `j k_\i\]fi\ jligi`j`e^ k_Xk `k kffb k_`j cfe^ ]fi k_\ j\op Zf]]\\ j\im\ij Xcc ]\dXc\ ki\e[ kf Zfd\ kf Efik_\ie :Xc`]fie`X% In 1999, Mary Keller, the owner of NATTÉ LATTÉ in Port Orchard, Wash., realized that she would need something to separate her
kiosk from the many cafes in the surrounding area, so she put her baristas in bright-pink hot pants. The gimmick worked so well that soon sexy and sexier coffee stands were cropping up in other locations in Washington and Oregon. Until this past summer, Silicon Valley lagged in the bikini-barista category, but then Robert Martinez, a savvy contractor looking to support himself and his four sons
through the financial crisis, came on the scene. He had heard of the “bikini coffee business model” from a friend and decided to take a trip to Washington with his fiancée to check it out. “My fiancée takes care of the smart stuff, while I’m more of a relationship counselor for the girls,” Martinez explains. “Her last name is ‘Man,’ so for those who are wondering, this place is owned by a man, except she’s a woman.”
Martinez seems warm and caring; he says he has no physical contact with the girls and asks his sons to follow his example. “The only time [the baristas] will get a hug from me is on their way out if they’re fired.” YOUR COFFEE CUPS, with its logo of a female form steaming out of a coffee cup, is located on 46685 Mission Blvd. in Fremont, conveniently close to a freeway exit. Women clad in bikinis and various other sexy getups serve coffee beverages ranging in sizes from B to D cup. Mr. Espresso is the coffee provider, Harney and Sons Tea does the tea and Yandy Sexy Costumes does, well, the sexy costumes. There have been other sexy coffee ventures in the South Bay in the past, specifically SUGAR’S coffee bar in San Jose, which closed in 2009 after consistent scrutiny from local police. Sugars tried to emulate the atmosphere of the many Vietnamesestyle coffeehouses dotting San Jose’s strip malls and back alleys, where coffee is served by Vietnamese women in smoke-clouded rooms. The main draw of these places is the voluptuous waitresses (who at Sugar’s wore bikini tops and short shorts), as well as the barlike atmosphere. Before it closed in 2009, Sugar’s was being watched by police, who thought that like its Vietnamese counterparts it would also attract gang activity. Owner Tony Nunez thought of the police attention as nothing more than harassment. Your Coffee Cups, being a drivethrough, does not invite loiterers and has had no legal troubles. When asked whether there have been any issues over the girls’ outfits, Martinez says that he’s done the research and there’s nothing illegal about working in a bikini. “We make sure that nothing shows. This is a much safer environment for the girls to work in than a bar where there are a bunch of drunk guys hanging around,” Martinez figures. “Guys will say something stupid once in a while, but here they get no support from their buddies. After all it’s daytime, and it’s just coffee. We close at 6.” It is a good way for the girls to make money in a safe and supportive environment, so more power to them. And by the way, the coffee’s pretty good, too.
M E T R O S I L I C O N VA L L E Y | J A N UA R Y 2 6 - F E B R UA R Y 1 , 2 0 1 1 | SA N J O S E . C O M | M E T R OAC T I V E . C O M
Felipe Buitrago
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