"It's a gorgeous, 63-degree fall Sunday morning, and Groovy Goose is slammed. Every table inside and out of the shoebox-sized coffee shop is filled, the line is five-deep and the slim corridor that runs along the coffee bar's counter has a dozen more people hugging the wall, patiently waiting for their coffees to be ready. "Matcha latte for Brett?" the barista asks. "Brett" appears and grabs his cup."
"'I used to sit on the corner, on the other side of Starbucks - on my side - and people would walk by and I'd say, 'Hey how's it going? My name is Nathan. I'm the owner of Groovy Goose. I notice you get a latte at Starbucks. Can I make you a latte for free, and you can compare them?' says Conte, 28. 'And that's how we got a lot of customers.'"
Groovy Goose is a bootstrapped, two-year-old coffee shop located 75 feet from a three-decade-old Starbucks that belongs to a chain earning $37 billion in 2025. The shop sits amid multiple competitors including a second Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, and Paris Baguette. Despite the proximity to large chains, Groovy Goose regularly fills every table and sustains long lines, creating a strong neighborhood atmosphere with patrons called by name. Owner Nathan Conte recruited customers by offering free latte comparisons outside the neighboring Starbucks. Nathan grew up in San Carlos and maintains local roots with family still living in his childhood home.
Read at SFGATE
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