Tempe’s King Coffee to move to Mesa by end of the year

After more than a decade in Tempe, King Coffee is getting ready for a move a few miles east. The popular study spot is bringing its community-focused approach to a larger Mesa space that will also highlight the family’s Filipino-American and Mexican heritage through food and local art.

The longtime coffee shop, which has built a loyal following among Arizona State University students, faculty and nearby residents, is relocating to University Drive and Longmore Road in Mesa. While the new location is less than five miles from King Coffee’s current Tempe shop, the move marks a significant new chapter for the family-owned business.

Sallie Figueroa and her son Joshua Weems opened King Coffee in 2015. Figueroa works in healthcare and primarily handles things behind the scenes, while Weems runs the shop and operates King Coffee Roastery.

The move was not part of the original plan. King Coffee’s landlord gave the family a heads-up about three years ago that the building would eventually be demolished and replaced with a new development, Figueroa says. The project was still in the fundraising stage at the time, so the family knew they had some runway. That changed when the landlord received a significant donation and the redevelopment plans began moving forward.

Weems lives in Mesa and had been keeping an eye out for opportunities in the area. While driving past a long-vacant space, he saw potential for a new King Coffee location. The former Zio’s Pizza had room to offer what they wanted, including a full kitchen, more seating and space for community gatherings.

“Then we checked it out and, and we were like, oh, there’s some real opportunities here,” Figueroa says. “The space and the location really sold us.”

King Coffee is planning a full remodel of the former Zio’s Pizza space, with the goal of opening before the holidays. Weems is doing much of the demolition work himself and working with subcontractors on the rest of the buildout.

The expanded space, and its full kitchen, will give King Coffee room to grow.

“Certainly we’ll be doing a lot of our own in-house baked pastries, breads and things like that because our current space doesn’t allow for that, so that’s really exciting,” Figueroa says.

The owners also plan to evolve their coffee shop into more of a weekend brunch concept.

There will be nearly twice as much seating as the current location, with room for more than 50 people inside. The goal is to make the space flexible enough for studying or community gatherings and events, Figueroa says. There will also be outdoor seating tucked behind the building, which Figueroa jokingly describes as their new “secret patio.”

The move does come with some challenges. King Coffee has spent years building a customer base tied closely to ASU, with many customers walking to the shop from campus between classes. Moving east will make it less convenient for those regulars, particularly students without cars.

“That’s a little nerve-wracking,” Figueroa says.

Still, she hopes the new location will retain some of that student audience. The former Zio’s Pizza was also a popular destination for ASU students, and the new shop will be near Mesa Community College, a high school and other schools.

Figueroa also hopes that familiar faces will draw regulars. King Coffee is taking its staff to the new shop, with nearly everyone planning to make the move.

The expansion also presents an opportunity to highlight the family’s heritage. Figueroa is Filipino-American, while Weems’ wife, Gen, is Mexican. 

“We really wanted to kind of lean into that, both in sort of some inspired recipe items as well as just music or art,” Figueroa says. The family is calling the concept “Mexipino fusion.” 

King Coffee has always showcased work from local artists, and the new location will have a dedicated wall for rotating artwork. That community-minded approach feels fitting for a coffee shop that has spent the past decade building its identity around being more than just a place to grab a drink.

“You know, we have always been very grassroots, from the very beginning,” Figueroa says. “And our goal has always been sort of that community type of space.”

The Tempe shop will remain open throughout most of the transition, with Figueroa anticipating only about a week of downtime to move equipment and train staff in the new space. The exact opening date has not yet been announced, but King Coffee’s owners are targeting the end of the year. In the meantime, the family is continuing to figure out exactly what comes next.

If the new shop feels a little different, that is part of the point. After more than a decade in one location, King Coffee is building something bigger while bringing the people, community and family history that shaped it along for the ride.

King Coffee

Currently open: 1020 S. Mill Ave., Tempe
Opening later this year: 1620 W. University Drive, #3, Mesa