People were lined up Thursday at Newton Medical Center to get a fresh cup of Joe as a new coffee bar opened in the hospital’s lobby.
Mojos, owned by Patty Meier of rural Harvey County, opened Thursday with an opening-day special of $1 drinks.
Meier formerly worked at the Lincoln Perk in Hesston and has always dreamed of running her own coffee shop.
“I always loved the coffee culture,” she said. “I think coffee embodies friendship. You can take time, set down and talk to each other. It is a special thing to sit and talk. It is a treat.”
She approached NMC about the project, and hospital administrators agreed to let her open a coffee bar cart in the lobby.
Mike Keller, NMC vice president of operations, said hospital administration had contemplated opening a coffee shop for several years, but Meier was willing to put up the staff, equipment and investment if the hospital rented her the space.
“We felt there was a demand for that,” Keller said. “We have 800 people working on this campus. A lot of people pick up coffee in Wichita on their way to work or up town. We thought people would like to have it closer to their desk.”
The coffee bar initially will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; however, Meier said she hopes to expand the hours to 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and add hours on Saturday morning.
Mojos offers a full line of coffee drinks, including drip coffee from PT’s Coffee of Topeka, which was named the 2009 top roaster in the United States.
She also will have direct trade coffees and organic blends.
For the non-coffee drinkers, she offers fruit smoothies.
Mojos will sell some baked goods, including scones and biscotti, baked by Prairie Harvest and may add chicken salad sandwiches during the lunch hour.
“We don’t want to compete with the cafeteria,” she said.
Keller said he did not think Mojos would compete with the hospital-run cafeteria but would be a compliment to NMC services.
“Based on today, I think it will be a big success,” Keller said Thursday of Mojos. “We have had a lot of employees and staff give very positive feedback.”
