A new cafe featuring Hawaiian coffees and breakfast items is set to open in Virginia Square next week.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii plans to open for business on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 3701 N. Fairfax Drive. The cafe has been in development since the fall and is the second Northern Virginia location by franchisees Michelle and Richard Lee.
It serves premium coffee from The Big Island
- Bad Ass Coffee offers blended drinks, signature lattes, cold brew coffees and teas. Egg sandwiches come served on King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls.
- The cafe’s Hawaiian coffee beans are grown in volcano-enriched soil and a tropical environment that produces a mild, low-acidity taste.
- Virginia Square customers will be able to purchase Hawaiian blend coffee, single-origin beans and coffee machine pods.
It’s named after coffee-carrying donkeys
- Bad Ass Coffee was founded in 1989 and the rapidly expanding chain now has several dozen locations nationwide.
- The cafe’s eye-catching name pays tribute to donkeys that have carried coffee across Hawaiian mountains for decades.
- “The people of Kona named these hard-working donkeys the ‘Bad Ass Ones’ because of their reliably strong, but stubborn nature in carrying their cargo,” according to a release.
The Lees opened their first shop in Alexandria
- The couple, who opened their first Bad Ass Coffee franchise in March 2023, are currently planning a third, so-far-undisclosed location in Northern Virginia.
- As first-generation immigrants from Korea and China, the duo views their businesses as “a realization of the American dream.”
- “Bad Ass Coffee’s cold brew holds a special place for me — it’s remarkably smooth and refreshing, setting it apart in the coffee world,” Michelle Lee said.
The new location plans to host a two-day grand opening with giveaways, games and free coffee a few weeks after it opens. New ‘Ohana Rewards members can get a $5 discount after making their first purchase.
