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Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii opened its first New Jersey location Jan. 22, 2025, at 50 Main St. in Hackensack. The location is owned by Tom Soper (back row, in baseball cap). - PROVIDED BY FISHMAN PR
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii bringing Aloha spirit to NJ
Kimberly Redmond//January 27, 2025//
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii launched its first New Jersey shop.
Located at 50 Main St. in Hackensack, the franchise serves premium coffee sourced from Hawaii, blended drinks, handcrafted energy drinks, signature lattes, cold brews and teas. Its menu also includes breakfast and lunch sandwiches made with King’s Hawaiian sweet bread and baked goods, such as parfait muffins and malasada doughnuts.
Founded 36 years ago on the Big Island of Hawaii, the brand relaunched under new ownership and leadership in 2018. Now focused on aggressive franchise sales and development, QSR magazine named Bad Ass Coffee as one of its hottest emerging fast casual brands in 2023.
Coffees are available for purchase in franchise stores and online. The brand will soon hit grocery, hospitality and specialty retail channels, too.
The 32-plus unit brand says it currently has more than 100 cafés in various stages of development across the U.S. Within New Jersey, it aims to launch 10 to 12 shops over the next three to five years. Jim Bowman and Tyler Bowman will develop three of those sites. The father-son team discovered the chain in Florida and wanted to bring it closer to home.
A September 2024 announcement about the franchise deal said the Bowmans were eyeing Central Jersey communities such as New Brunswick, Princeton and Somerville for their stores. Details are still being finalized regarding the specific locations and opening timeline for those sites, a company spokesperson said.
Say Aloha, New Jersey
Tom Soper owns and operates the new store in Hackensack. In addition to 24 years of entrepreneurial experience as the owner of Platinum Alarms, Soper pursued various roles, such as EMT in Verona and customer service and security positions with Walt Disney World in Florida.
“Fifteen years ago, I visited a legacy Bad Ass Coffee location and posted a picture on Facebook, asking if anyone wanted to open a location with me,” said Soper. “Over the years, that post would pop up as a memory, and I was reminded of my goal. To see Bad Ass Coffee Hackensack open is a full-circle moment for me, and I could not be more thrilled to share this amazing brand and coffee with my community.”
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii in Hackensack is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store offers dine-in and mobile to-go options, as well as a loyalty program.
A two-day grand opening celebration featuring giveaways, games and coffee will be held soon. The event will include a giveback initiative with a charity partner, according to the chain.
Scott Snyder, CEO of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, said, “We are ready to say Aloha and grow our ‘ohana in New Jersey.”
“Our brand continues its growth and journey up the Atlantic Coast because of the strong community support and following we receive with each new store opening. We’re excited about the special connection that Tom has in his community and can’t wait to see the positive impact that spreading Aloha will have in Hackensack,” he said.
