Photo courtesy of Seek Coffee
May 8, 2024 By Queens Post News Team
Popular Astoria coffee shop Seek Coffee is set to open a new location on Ditmars Boulevard in early June.
Seek, which opened near Broadway nine months ago, is expected to open on June 1 at the site of the former Yogurt la Crepe eatery, 29-02 Ditmars Blvd., according to owner and founder Pedro Guzman.
Guzman said the new location will be able to seat 28 customers indoors and roughly 15 customers in an expansive outdoor area, and it will employ around six employees.
A real estate investor by trade, Guzman launched Seek Coffee at 31-86 37th St. last August to offer something “slightly different” than every other coffee shop in the area.
Seek owner and founder Pedro Guzman at the 37th Street location. Photo courtesy of Seek Coffee
Guzman said Seek’s atmosphere and ambiance set it apart from other coffee shops in the area. He added that he has trained his employees to be in tune with customers’ needs and wants.
“We’re very attentive,” Guzman said. “I’m fully involved, my staff is fully involved, and we’re always looking for any hints of what the customer needs before they need it.
“If you need a napkin, we deliver it before you even notice. We want the product to look orderly and clean.
“You’re going to walk in here and you’re going be able to disconnect from the world because it’s up to us now to deliver to you the best experience we possibly can.”
Despite having no experience running a coffee shop or even drinking coffee, Guzman’s business has been booming at the original Seek location on 37th Street, which he described as a “blast.” He said the Astoria community has been incredibly supportive of the business, giving Seek the momentum it needed to succeed.
“The Astoria community has been great for us in every way, shape and form,” Guzman said. “That support has actually given us the momentum to get people talking and spread the business through word of mouth. We’re actually starting to create some noise just because of the Astoria community.
Photo courtesy of Seek
“We now feel confident enough to bring Seek to the other side of Astoria, so everything comes down to how great this community is and how Astoria has backed us from day one.”
Guzman, who lives near Ditmars Boulevard, said he had always hoped to open a second Seek location and said he noticed earlier in the year that the Yogurt la Crepe store lay vacant, describing it as a “perfect fit” for a Seek expansion.
He acquired the space with the help of a friend in the real estate business and has set about converting it into a new Seek location.
Guzman said the new location will be bigger than the original store on 37th Street and, due to the higher volume of foot traffic in the area, he expects it to be busier.
He plans to introduce a slightly more simplified menu in the new location in order to be able to offer the same customer service that Seek has become renowned for.
Aside from offering a wide range of coffees and teas, the original Seek Coffee location on 37th Street offers a variety of pastries, sandwiches, toasts and lemonades.
Photo courtesy of Seek
“I’m focusing on simplifying our menu and our operation so that we can keep focusing on the smaller details. We want to be able to able to deliver a good product for each guest that walks in.”
Guzman added that the new location will have a “more industrial, rustic look” than the original location.
“As we expand to different locations, our coffee and our name are going to stay the same, but I want to provide a different ambiance here and there, just so I’m able to give our guests a different vibe within our locations.”
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