New Château Coffee Co. spot caters to university students

After finishing his master’s degree in marketing research at Michigan State University, Tarek Chawich expected to follow in his peers’ footsteps: moving to California and working for a big corporation. But a flash of inspiration changed his course when he saw the building that would become the first Château Coffee Co. location.

“I saw the vision of it, and I took the leap,” Chawich said. “I didn’t want to be 60 years old and realize that I regretted not doing it.”

Three years after the original location opened, Chawich opened a second location in Okemos on Jan. 26.

A first-time visitor could hardly guess that the location is new; at lunchtime, the cafe bustles with customers. The offerings are similar to Château’s westside location — coffee flights, breakfast sandwiches and baklava — but the natural lighting and spacious dining room draw in university students, who take advantage of the plentiful wall outlets.

“The menu is roughly the same, but there’s a different atmosphere,” Chawich said. “There are more students here. People are on their laptops.”

He said his choice to open an Okemos location was inspired by customers who drove to the original location from the east side. But the idea was solidified when he visited the building itself.

“Once I walked in, I saw this vision,” he said. “I just knew this would be the perfect place.” He was particularly inspired by a small, windowed nook behind what is now the espresso bar, which has become a popular study spot.

Château’s connection to the university goes beyond its clientele. Many of the baristas are students, and Chawich routinely collaborates with MSU student organizations.

“We’ve collaborated with the marketing research master’s program to do a couple studies on Château,” he said. “The data analytics club has done some data research for us, and we’ve collaborated with VIM Magazine.”

Chawich puts his employees’ diverse educations to use, with baristas doubling as social media managers, grant writers and decorators.

One barista, Kayla Munson, praised the flexibility Château offers employees.

“It turned out to be such a good fit for me,” she said. “They work around my school schedule very well.”

Having opened two locations in three years, what’s next for Château? Chawich is interested in opening a third location, though perhaps not yet — he oversaw the Okemos location’s construction himself, which “took a lot of work.” But even as he rests, he’s begun crowdfunding for the company, an idea he developed alongside a finance professor at MSU.

As the company grows, working with local businesses remains a focus. Its Château Valley espresso beans — a smooth, sweet, medium-light roast — are roasted by 517 Coffee Co., and its baklava comes from Okemos eatery Bread Bites, where it’s baked by Chawich’s aunt.

Chawich is excited to grow the business further, but he draws the line at franchising.

“We would always keep it corporate-owned because we really want to focus on quality,” he said.