When Louie Ryan and Derek Taylor launched Menotti’s Coffee along Windward Avenue in 2013, they were looking to bring a new coffee experience to Venice Beach. Thirteen years and two stores later, the team is looking to do it again in their soon-to-open store in Sawtelle.
“When we opened in October 2013, it was a different Venice,” Ryan told What Now Los Angeles. “Intelligentsia was on the scene at the time, but that was the only newer coffee shop model that showed up. But we were embraced by the community and now it’s become a true hub for Venice Beach. We’re hoping to do the same thing at West Edge.”
Menotti’s will open its fourth location in May at West Edge in the Sawtelle neighborhood, joining the brand’s existing spots in Venice, Culver City and Tokyo. The 550-square-foot space will act as a grab-and-go spot for customers, with plenty of outdoor areas at the West Edge development to enjoy their coffee. Ryan said they are in the process of putting the finishing touches on the space and will soon start training.
The smaller footprint will harken back to the Menotti’s on Windward Avenue that started it all.
“The original one in Venice was a true Menotti’s Coffee Stop until we expanded outside during COVID,” Ryan said. “This one is a little more like, come grab your coffee to-go, sit on the wall outside and enjoy the beautiful design of West Edge.”
The brand offers popular drinks such as the vegan Spanish latte, and Ryan particularly enjoys their espresso and tonic served over ice with an orange slice, especially during the summer.
The growth trajectory of Menotti’s over the past 13 years has conveyed that the team is in no rush to expand. For Ryan and the team, this organic, deliberate growth is intentional, with an emphasis on staying true to the brand and its roots rather than growing their footprint.
“We’re not trying to be a Blue Bottle or a Starbucks or anything. We were very mom-and-pop for the first seven or eight years and we still are,” Ryan said. “It’s neighborhoods and locations that inspire me more than a hard strategy to multiply because I want to keep the essence and the service and the feel of Menotti’s. That’s our ethos and something we live by. If you expand too fast, that can get away from you.”
Looking toward the future, Ryan could see another 10 locations over the next six years or so, but he is not committed to any one number. He could also envision some growth beyond Los Angeles, perhaps with a second store in Tokyo, a location in Santa Barbara or a spot on the Lower East Side in New York.
“We want to build enough of them to build a community hub in neighborhoods that appeal to us,” Ryan said. “You won’t see us in a corporate setting or mall — it has to have a little bit of soul, just like the shop.”
West Edge, which opened in 2023, has been adding retailers this year, with wellness brand Artha and juice bar Clean Juice opening their doors this past winter. In addition to Menotti’s, West Edge will add salon suite brand In D Suites and McComb Orthodontics to the development in late summer.
