The only thing Jason Mitchell used to know about coffee was how to drink it.
“That’s pretty much it,” said Mitchell, who now owns Mitchell’s Coffee Time, a small coffee shop and restaurant in Lutz. “Always wanted to own one, but never could because of my deployments (in the military). But we’ve been here since April 2020 now.”
Mitchell is a 20-year veteran. He retired in 2017, after numerous deployments and dozens of countries visited.
He was running his car detail business, but wanted to operate the coffee shop he now owns.
“I met the previous owner because we had been detailing his car for three years,” he said. “He wanted to sell, and we basically jumped right into the 45-day transition.
“He taught us everything we needed to know about having a coffee shop business. I did my own research and looked at YouTube videos, but we do our own thing here.
“We do things a little differently,” he said.
Indeed, the Mitchells do.
More than half his family works at the shop.
His 22-year-old twin daughters, Alexxus and Destiny, are baristas, while his 15-year-old daughter works occasionally, when she needs to earn money.
Mitchell’s Coffee Time serves up more than coffee. It hosts events, from trivia every Thursday, to Bible study group meetups, to Zumba classes and live music.
Jason likes to consider it more of a hangout than just a coffee shop.
Indeed, for many, it’s a place they go to for more than just a cup of joe.
“I can tell when (customers) are meeting a client, whether it be Realtors or an insurance salesperson,” he added. “Which I think is great. We don’t want to be like some chain coffee place where you get your coffee and get out.”
Mitchell is a hands off-type owner because he has a full-time job working down at MacDill Air Force Base.
He pops into the shop a couple times a week, mostly for a coffee, but the baristas run the place.
They have the freedom to experiment with new drinks and just have fun, as well.
“We’re very different from a chain coffee shop,” Destiny said. “From the coffee to just the stuff we have and events. But I’m glad. It’s better to be different.
“It’s so much fun, even though we didn’t know that much about coffee. Once you work at a coffee shop, you’ll learn so much more about coffee than you ever thought you could know about coffee. We learned on the go. It was a process, but, honestly, it was a fun one.”
And Jason plans to include more fun.
Curbside service is on the horizon, but more events will be coming, such as painting with a twist for both adults and kids, and bingo for older customers.
“Word of mouth definitely helps us, especially when they find out that we host a lot of things like trivia and music,” Jason said.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard to see us because of the way (State Road 54) is built, but once they come in or find it, they’re like, ‘didn’t know this was here, but I love it,’” he said.
Mitchell’s Coffee Time
Where: 22299 State Road 54, Suite 102, Lutz
When: Mondays, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Details: This coffee shop, which is family owned and operated, offers drinks, light food and weekly events, including trivia and live music.
Info: Call 813-428-6550, or visit MitchellsCoffeeTime.com.
Published June 22, 2022
