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This article is part of the America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops series. Read more stories
Key Takeaways
- Small details deliver big experiences.
- Every customer is an influencer.
- Consistency and feedback fuel growth.
For Elisa Marshall, co-founder of Maman cafés, entrepreneurship started in childhood—helping her parents sell antiques on eBay at 13 and running lemonade stands. Torn between multiple passions, it wasn’t until she moved to New York City that a longing for home sparked the idea for Maman, a coffee shop rooted in nostalgia but built for the bustle of the city.
Marshall designed a space that broke the mold of “industrial chic” New York City cafés. Wanting to create a welcoming space that felt like home, she named the business Maman (“mother” in French) and drew from her skills in fashion, food and interior design to transform the typical café experience.
Related: This Venezuelan Entrepreneur Craved His Favorite Comfort Food – So He Started a Business Selling It
“A lot of people in New York City don’t have dining room tables for four, let alone [the space to host] a big group of people. Sometimes they don’t even have kitchens in their apartments. So we really wanted to create that extension, that home-away-from-home vibe,” Marshall says.
From the very beginning, attention to detail set Maman apart from its competitors. Despite the upfront cost, Marshall insisted every cup, plate and chair be different — painstaking for her suppliers but crucial for the signature “lived-in” look she was going for.
Scaling that highly personalized feeling was a challenge as Maman grew. Marshall had to decide what to standardize and what to keep personal when she opened new locations. Chairs and tables became uniform, but Marshall still scours antique fairs and garage sales to maintain Maman’s iconic, mismatched china.
Related: They Built Their First Restaurant With Their ‘Bare Hands.’ Now They Have 380 Locations.
This hand-crafted ambiance extends to Maman’s digital presence. Every touchpoint, whether email, Instagram or Uber Eats packaging, reflects the brand’s aesthetic.
“Everything from fonts to tone of voice to color palettes that we use [contributes to brand consistency],” she says. “Anyone can send out a basic email, but we have an incredible graphic design team and marketing team that appreciate and understand finding the beauty and telling our brand story throughout.”
Another challenge is meeting customer demand while still innovating and keeping the menu fresh. About 60% of Maman’s offerings are core classics that regulars expect, but there’s always room for creativity, trends and seasonality. This willingness to experiment keeps both the team and customers engaged.
“No one wants to have a hot butternut squash soup in August in Miami,” Marshall says. “So making sure that what we offer is relevant to the location and season [is important]. [There are also] a lot of opportunities to work with local farms [and] get much better produce when you’re working with seasonal ingredients.”
Related: He Grew His Small Business to a $25 Million Operation By Following These 5 Principles
In terms of advertising, Marshall knows there’s nothing better than word of mouth. When Maman’s honeycomb tahini latte became a viral sensation, it wasn’t a paid marketing blitz that started the craze but an ecstatic fan posting about it online.
“We believe in very organic advertising, and we don’t do any paid influencer advertising,” Marshall shares, emphasizing that any customer can be a brand ambassador.
“Our moms who come in, who will talk to the other moms and carry their Maman cup to school pick-up — those are our true influencers. Those are the ones who end up driving the traffic and planning the after-school dates and the after-drop-off coffee meetups with the girlfriends.”
Maman also enhances its customer experience through in-person and online feedback. From reading every Yelp review to empowering her team to gather and track both customer and employee input, Marshall keeps a keen eye on areas for improvement.
“Cultivating a positive environment about reviews is very important,” Marshall says. “On the flip side, I think it’s equally as important to receive feedback and reviews from our employees. Because they’re the ones who are front-of-house. They’re the ones who know the most, and we have them send reports weekly to us as a store.”
For example, when Marshall heard from a busboy that customers weren’t eating the mixed greens that came with sandwiches, she removed them to prevent food waste, reducing prices as a result. Small changes like this can not only save the company money but also reduce environmental impact and increase customer satisfaction.
With cookies that made Oprah’s favorites list and a brand that treats each guest like family, it’s clear Marshall’s “home away from home” is a movement more than a menu.
Key lessons from Marshall’s journey with Maman include:
- Standardize where it matters; personalize where it counts. Not every detail can scale, but the ones that define your brand should never be compromised.
- Treat reviews and feedback as gifts. Not every comment demands change, but every pattern can point to improvement.
- Community is your best marketing. Build a space that people want to talk about, photograph, and share to build word of mouth. Influencer marketing can be powerful, but any customer can be a brand ambassador.
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Editorial contributions by Kristi Lindahl and Emily Moon
This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops® series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Small details deliver big experiences.
- Every customer is an influencer.
- Consistency and feedback fuel growth.
For Elisa Marshall, co-founder of Maman cafés, entrepreneurship started in childhood—helping her parents sell antiques on eBay at 13 and running lemonade stands. Torn between multiple passions, it wasn’t until she moved to New York City that a longing for home sparked the idea for Maman, a coffee shop rooted in nostalgia but built for the bustle of the city.
Marshall designed a space that broke the mold of “industrial chic” New York City cafés. Wanting to create a welcoming space that felt like home, she named the business Maman (“mother” in French) and drew from her skills in fashion, food and interior design to transform the typical café experience.
Related: This Venezuelan Entrepreneur Craved His Favorite Comfort Food – So He Started a Business Selling It