Forza Coffee in Gig Harbor recently became the first in the company’s chain of stores to offer a wine bar along with its regular coffee venue.
“It’s a trial thing,” said Chad Roy, the store’s co-owner. “We’re the first of the Forzas to do it. If we are successful, the other franchises will do it as well.”
Roy and his partner, Scott Teodoro, who also owns the nearby Harbor Greens grocery store, purchased the Olympic Drive coffee shop in December.
“They were ready to close their doors,” Roy said. “It’s such great synergy having the coffee shop right next door to the grocery store.”
The businessmen immediately breathed new life into the coffee chain by adding their personal touches with deli items from Harbor Greens.
“We brought over some pastry items from the store for a change,” Roy said. “We added pastries and salads, and it’s been a popular place ever since.”
Teodoro said opening the wine bar was a natural progression for the entrepreneurs, who already were offering a large selection of wines at Harbor Greens. Roy also bought wine for Tacoma Boys before he purchased the coffee shop.
“I’ve been in the wine business a long time, but I’ve never had a restaurant-style place,” he said. “We’ve always wanted to do wine tasting, but the liquor board doesn’t allow you to do it in a grocery store.”
Forza will offer wine by the glass, half-glass and bottle.
“The purpose of selling the half-glass is that people will be able to try different wines,” Roy said. “We’ll have quite an extensive wine list. The unique thing is, you can buy a glass of 14-hands Washington cabernet for $5. At most other places, this would cost about $8 to $10 a glass.”
“The food menu is priced primarily between $6 and $10,” Teodoro added. “The menu is designed for today’s economy.”
From the 126 different wines to choose from, the bar will focus mainly on Washington wines, but it also will offer some California wines, a Spanish selection and other imports.
“The hardest thing was the food service,” Teodoro said. “In order for people to come in there and drink wine, you have to offer great food. We put together some pretty interesting dishes, like smoked salmon, antipasta, salami and cheese platters. Our chef is a pro on presentation and making these dishes look incredible. It’s wonderful.”
The crew hired chef Monica Potucek to lead the food service, and she spent two months “tweaking” the menu.
“We’ve only been open three days, but we’ve had remarkable compliments on the food,” Teodoro said on Friday. “People love the wine, but they’re having their socks knocked off by the food.”
Patrons also can enjoy a selection of unique imported beers.
“We’ll have beers from breweries people haven’t heard of, so it’s a good way to try something new and different,” Teodoro said.
Forza will offer outdoor seating when the weather warms up. It currently features live music Friday and Saturday nights.
Forza Coffee on Olympic Drive is now offering beer and wine.
Address: 5275 Olympic Drive, Ste. 110 in Gig Harbor
Phone: 253-858-8033
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