Food Files: Joe is ramblin’ on Sam Cooper
Ramblin’ Joe’s will have its grand opening Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at its new location at 2956 Sam Cooper Blvd. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)
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Ramblin’ Joe’s opens in new Sam Cooper development
The coffee shop Ramblin’ Joe’s, previously known as Ugly Mug, will have its grand opening on Sunday, Sept. 21, at its location in the new Broad Avenue Gateway development.
The 1,000-square-foot coffee shop at 2956 Sam Cooper Blvd. is part of the development’s first phase and is also the first of Ramblin’ Joe’s newest model.
Owner David Lambert said this location is the new “flagship” store for Ramblin’ Joe’s, with other locations to follow this model as the franchise expands nationally.
“This is going to be the nationwide model for all future Ramblin’ Joe’s drive-thru coffee shops,” he said. “This one has all the new technology and everything top of the line.”
Lambert said the overall plan is to expand regionally, with Ramblin’ Joe’s already having shops in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. He said they are in talks with people in North Carolina and Texas.
But Lambert said the roots will always be in Memphis, as that’s where the business story began.
In 1971, his father started the family-owned wholesale roastery, Lambert’s Coffee Service. Before being rebranded in 2022 by Lambert, Ramblin’ Joe’s was formerly the Ugly Mug Coffee Roasters brand.
Lambert said they will continue Joe’s Way, a method of customer service where they don’t serve coffee, but rather serve happiness.
“That’s what we want our customers to get out of dealing with us, that we are local, and the most important thing is that our customers are happy when they leave,” he said.
Over the next couple of weeks, customers and passersby will see Bob Gregory, a Nashville-based artist, painting an exterior mural of the Great Smoky Mountains scene that will surround the entire store.
The interior of the shop features wooden elements, including a 9-foot-by-17-foot wood wall — where Gregory will paint a mural featuring a coffee tree branch, the Ramblin’ Joe character and a Tennessee Black Bear.
“It’s all going to be one color, so it’ll look really cool,” Lambert said. “We wanted to do something special for this particular store because it’s next to the Broad Avenue Arts District. We wanted to be a part of contributing to that community there.”
Sonic Drive-In to open
Sonic Drive-In is adding a location at the southwest corner of Poplar Avenue and Yates Road. (Sue Ogrocki/AP file)
A new ground-up Sonic Drive-In is coming to the southwest corner of Poplar Avenue and Yates Road.
The 2,000-square-foot restaurant will be built at 5541 Poplar Ave. with 48 parking spaces and four biking spaces, according to plans filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development.
The Sonic Drive-In will be built on the property where a Wendy’s restaurant once stood before being demolished in 2021.
Topics
Ramblin' Joe's Sonic Drive-In Urban Consequence Brewing Co. Jack's Family Restaurant Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Sophia Surrett
Sophia Surrett is a University of Alabama graduate, where she received her B.A. in news media and M.A. in journalism and media studies. She covers small business, nonprofits, restaurant real estate, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics.
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