This Radically Clear Chilly Brew Pop-Up Will get Right down to the Nitty-Gritty with Its Numbers
Alexis Howard and Brandon Sardi finished their business degrees at San Francisco State University around the same time they were trying out a few possible businesses. They tried their hand with farmers market outfit Sardi’s Pasta, a vegan pizza venture, and social media consulting. Eventually, Sardi went into tech sales, and Howard dove into social, but both missed the possibility of entrepreneurship. After sharing a bit of their journeys online, they found the passion — and a fanbase — for a new hit project.
It’s called Poorboy Coffee, a coffee pop-up focused on cold brew made with a bartending flair. Sardi is the face of the business, which is sort of an eponymous outfit, and he’s gained a loyal following on Instagram and TikTok for breaking down line item by line item how he makes the business run. The operation is also expanding, moving from its installation at North Beach’s Bodega, where the venture went viral, and taking over the former Queens location at 1235 9th Avenue. As of April 5 the business will sling cold brew, matcha, and pastries from Rosalind Bakery every day of the week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. “I wanted to show people the not so glamorized side of it,” Sardi says. “You see videos of guys sipping drinks on the beach. That’s not it.”
Poorboy was born from conversations Howard and Sardi had with their friends in the industry as they were looking to get a wine bar started. They learned from the team at Bodega in North Beach and Coffee Movement co-owners Bryan Overstreet and Reef Bessette. But then funding for the wine bar fell through and the duo got turned away for a loan from banks and other lenders. They realized that if they wanted to go back to their farmers market business, they’d need to do it as cheaply as possible. Sardi started going Big Short on it, using a whiteboard to string the costs and possible profits together.
Then the partners — in business and in life — thought showing a realistic picture of bootstrapping a business to viewers on social media could be key. They figured cold brew could be the cheapest way to get started, for instance, only needing a $100 five-gallon brewer and beans. The first day for Poorboy was February 10, the two getting the greenlight from Lalo Luevano of Bodega to serve coffee alongside the outpost’s popular burritos. Sardi now tells the camera (it’s usually Howard behind the lens) how many coffee cups he sells each week, how the week’s revenue compares to gross revenue so far, and what that means for the business financially. All the profits at this point go back into the business, with neither Howard or Sardi taking any money for themselves. Apparently “bootstrapping” as a term was useful, as a lot of people online told them they weren’t familiar with that idea; the most bootstrap-y video, detailing Sardi’s side jobs, hit nearly 1 million views. “It all costs money,” Sardi says. “Everyone wants a piece of the pie.”
The two see a permanent location for Poorboy in their future, granted those whiteboard numbers keep growing. As they move into a new part of the city they’ll have their own coffee roasted by Saint Frank Coffee and will add matcha to the mix for the first time. Pourovers and rotating items will show up in time, but for now, the two are just looking at the cheapest way to get plants and decor into the new space. “We’re just trying to show people the realistic aspects of it,” Howard says. “There’s no ceiling to it. But it’s not comfortable either.”
Poorboy Coffee will open in the former Queens location (1235 9th Avenue) on April 5 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
