20
• JANUARY 2020
Emphasizing flavor, coffee – oh, and great beards
BUSINESS
The Current
By Josh Johnson
Current Contributor
Jake Miller was looking for a day job. After 15 years in the restaurant industry, including a decade bartending most days till 3 or 4 a.m., it was time for less night, more light. Instead of updating his resume, Jake did what Jake does: He created his own day job. “Basically, I quit my own business to start this business,” he said of Sams and Coffee, the Spokane Valley sandwich and coffee shop located in the Pinecroft Business Park on Mirabeau Parkway. Jake still owns Crave, a downtown Spokane sports bar, but his daily presence is now focused on a dream he’s held half his life. As a teenager, he and a friend were already brainstorming possible business concepts after his buddy’s dad told them he would invest in a great entrepreneurial idea. They landed on a coffee shop, but as high school students, there were too many hurdles, so Jake was forced to file the idea away. “This was before all of the coffee shops opened,” Jake recalled. “Since I was 15, 16 years old, I’ve been trying to figure out how to start a coffee shop.” A year and a half ago, the dream became reality. Sams and Coffee
Photos by Josh Johnson Jake Miller opened Sams and Coffee in 2018 in the Pinecroft Business Park on Mirabeau Parkway. opened with a focus on breakfast and lunch sandwiches — “sammies” — and coffee. Jake refers to selections featured on the flavor-packed, fresh-made menu like he’s referring to old friends: the flavor combination he first experienced while backpacking through Europe; his homemade recipe that regularly converts
The branding of Sams and Coffee greets visitors as they walk in. Most days, the logo’s likeness, owner Jake Miller, is behind the counter taking orders.
skeptics into tuna fish disciples; the sandwich he discovered during his self-described “bachelor gourmet” days, when he turned whatever happened to be in the fridge and cupboards into a masterpiece fit for guests. This has given the menu a flair that is atypical of chain sandwich establishments. Sure, you can order turkey, but there’s also options like BBQ brisket, chorizo or fresh avocado sliced in front of you. A similar approach is taken to coffee selections, where Jake and his baristas experiment with flavors that rotate through the daily specials. A final element of the Sams and Coffee business model is catering. Located as they are in a business district, Jake’s team is adept at supplying spreads of sandwiches — as well as a slew of additional options — for meetings and events. THE NAME Jacob Samuel Miller thought about naming the business “Jake’s,” but he’s reserving that name for a future dream (think even more food options and space enough for a 9-hole mini golf course). For this establishment, “Sams”
doubles as his middle name, but there is no apostrophe because it is also a plural form of sandwiches — sammies … sams … get it? THE VIBE Whether it’s a sports bar or a coffee shop, Jake emphasizes a clean, consistent and friendly environment. With ample tables, the space revolves around the kitchen, and customers can sit at a bar and watch their breakfast or lunch be prepared from scratch. “Honestly, if I could have everyone sit up there while they are waiting for their sandwich and get to talk and hear their story … I just want people to feel like they’re part of the community,” Jake said. Taking advantage of the daytime environment, Sams and Coffee is blessed with a flood of natural light through huge windows as well as a patio for outdoor seating. When the weather is right, customers can play cornhole outside. Inside, a pinball machine lights up a corner of the room. THE TOP PICK The Sun Burst, a Red Bull infusion featuring raspberry, peach and orange juice, has become a best seller.
