By Erin White
“Over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy. It [Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat.” Author unknown
The term “Cup of Joe” was coined in the early 1900s when the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, abolished the officer’s wine mess, among other efforts, in an attempt to reform the Navy. Shortly thereafter coffee became the hardest and most commonly consumed beverage among the Navy ships, and a cup of coffee became known as a “cup of joe,” named after the Secretary.
The term “Cup of Jo-nes” was coined by a friend of Robert Jones, owner and manager of Cup of Jo-nes. Cup of Jo-nes is located in the heart of Dodge City. The coffee shop, named after its owner, was the first of its kind to hit the city. In addition to being the first coffee shop in Dodge, Cup of Jo-nes has implemented a unique managerial perspective and eco-friendly practices.
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Ed Pearce stated, “Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.” This statement is truer for Robert Jones than most. Jones was born and raised in Dodge City. He left to pursue a degree from Kansas State University in general management. Jones has since returned to Dodge to raise a family and build a home not only for himself, but also the community.
Eighty-five years of history encompassed the abandoned house before it became Cup of Jo-nes. The character of the house and the idea of a home away from home was the selling point for Jones when deciding on a location for his coffee shop.
Hardwood floors, couches, paintings, and antiques accent the renovated house that sits at 909 West Wyatt Earp, in the center of Dodge City. Merely a few years ago the house stood abandoned and desolate, but not without character and potential. Jones had an aspiration to open a coffee shop for ten years before his efforts turned into a reality.
“The People,” was Jones’ reply when questioned about his favorite thing about the coffee shop that has been up and running for just over a year. Jones’ friends and family have had a hand in everything from renovations to planning the menus. Jones attributes his success to his friends, family, and the people who continue to help build his business.
The menu provides an extensive assortment of coffees and flavored beans.
The aroma of flavored lattes, cappuccinos, and coffees fill the inside of the once abandoned home. A sensation floods into almost every sense of the human body immediately upon crossing the threshold between the busy street and the quaint house. To the adamant coffee lover the smell alone is alluring.
The abundance of choices from regular coffee to vanilla wafer lattes provides for an array of customers. All preferences whether they be strong, smooth, or sweet can be fulfilled. Teas and fruit drinks, such as smoothies, are also offered for those less partial to coffee.
In addition to coffee Cup of Jo-nes serves breakfast, lunch, and bakery items. Jones sought the help of a chef from Amarillo to help design the sandwiches and various items when the menu was originally created. Since that time new items have accumulated from friends, family, and customers. Jones states that he is not planning on, “reinventing the wheel,” but that new staff has been hired and will be making additions and changes to the menu.
In addition to making Cup of Jo-nes a home away from home Jones also employs many eco-friendly practices to help benefit the community. He recycles all material possible, including coffee beans as fertilizer. They recycled coffee beans are provided to the community free of cost.
Harriet Beecher Stowe said, “Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life’s undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room.” Jones has provided not only a coffee shop, but a home for the rural community of Dodge City.
