The Cup, located in the heart of the Village, is the place to do just that. That was owner Martin George’s vision when he opened his business in 2012.
There were no independent coffee shops in Muncie before the Cup opened. The MT Cup (formerly located in the space The Cup occupies now) and The Blue Bottle both closed in 2011 and left Muncie a college town with no independent coffee shops. That wasn’t what George had hoped for.
“I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want to see everything go corporate,” he said.
George believes a coffeehouse has more to offer in the way of meeting people than a bar or nightclub. Meeting people in a bar is easy, but connecting with them is a different story, he said.
Former Ball State sociology student Josh Mang knew he’d always find a friendly face at the Cup.
“At first it was just convenient and the coffee and bagels were fantastic. But there was always someone to talk to, someone new to meet,” said Mang.
Connecting with people is one of George’s favorite parts of running the place. Customers and staff have become family to him.
“I’ve had some really excellent staff over the years, and I still do now,” said George. “And we have regulars, they become like extended family. You know what’s going on with them – the grades, when they’ve broken up with their boyfriend, what’s going on at home. You really get to know these people.”
The Cup offers more than coffee. George serves tea and craft soda, too, and offers a full menu that offers breakfast all day. Once school is back in session, Saturdays reserve a place in the menu for biscuits and bacon gravy.
“I really like it, and it’s been such a big deal since we’ve been here,” said George.
The biscuits and bacon gravy and Chocolate City iced mocha are George’s top picks.
As a tribute to the MT Cup, George and his team made a conscious effort to recreate as much as they could from the original shop while keeping the intention of a fresh, new business.
“I really like the atmosphere. I could drink coffee there all day,” said senior Economics major Jared Green. “It’s ridiculously convenient and a really cool place to chill.”
Making an effort to re-establish the ideal coffeehouse atmosphere and get people together face-to-face is a big deal to George. He wants The Cup to be a place for people to get to know each other, outside of electronics and social media.
“In a world that doesn’t encourage that, we are happy to be that,” said George.
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