Back to the Grind
Back to the Grind is a Chicago-area mobile coffee catering company that deploys three espresso carts and professional baristas to corporate events, weddings, school functions, and brand activations across the Chicagoland suburbs, with custom branding and recurring office service as add-ons.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersForest Park, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Back to the Grind does
Back to the Grind is a mobile coffee catering company founded in 2023 by Kat Briones and headquartered in Forest Park, Illinois, serving the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs. The company operates a fleet of three mobile espresso carts, deploying professional baristas to client locations to serve handcrafted beverages on-site at corporate events, brand activations, weddings, school functions, and private celebrations. Its revenue model combines one-time event catering fees (quote-based, with duration, guest count, and travel distance as pricing inputs), recurring weekly or monthly office espresso arrangements, and a barista-for-hire staffing service for clients that already own espresso equipment.
The core product is the mobile cart catering service itself, differentiated by a no-tip-jar / hand-to-guest service model, custom-branded cups and carts, locally roasted specialty coffee, a house-made vanilla bean syrup, and a menu that spans espresso classics, matcha, chai, and hot chocolate. Underlying operations are intentionally low-tech: the company has no proprietary software platform, no mobile application, and no API integrations; customer engagement runs through a Squarespace-hosted website with a quote request form, a 24-hour response SLA, live calendar availability, email, and organic social media.
Back to the Grind is a founder-owned micro-business with 1-10 employees, no disclosed institutional funding beyond a small $12,072 round recorded on 2026-01-29, and a customer base that spans marquee enterprise logos (Firefox, Webtoons, RYZE Mushroom Coffee, Loyola Hospital, DTLR, Northbridge Mall, Aetna). Its scale is regional within Chicagoland, with no stated expansion plans beyond that geography and no public revenue or ARR disclosures.
Back to the Grind firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Back to the Grind
- Legal name
- Back to the Grind
- Website
- https://backtothegrind.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Back to the Grind is a Chicago-area mobile coffee catering company that deploys three espresso carts and professional baristas to corporate events, weddings, school functions, and brand activations across the Chicagoland suburbs, with custom branding and recurring office service as add-ons.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Back to the Grind industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Coffee Catering Services
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK)
Keywords
Where Back to the Grind is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Forest Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Back to the Grind business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Event Coffee Catering Services: One-time service fees for mobile espresso cart catering at events. Pricing customized based on event duration, number of guests, and travel distance. Includes setup, breakdown, and professional barista service.
- Recurring Office Espresso Service: Regular weekly or monthly espresso service arrangements for offices and venues
- Barista for Hire: Professional barista staffing for events where client already has espresso equipment
- Overtime Services: Additional hourly service beyond agreed event window, billed at $150-$200 per hour
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Event Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Back to the Grind product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Back to the Grind operates a mobile coffee catering service that dispatches professional baristas with sleek, portable espresso carts to event venues across the Chicago metropolitan area. The service delivers handcrafted espresso-based beverages, teas, matcha, and hot chocolate on-site for corporate events, brand activations, school functions, and private celebrations, with options for custom branding on cups and carts.
Product overview
Back to the Grind operates as a single unified mobile coffee catering service built around three mobile espresso carts. The core offering is mobile coffee cart catering for events, which is enhanced by several add-on modules: custom branding (logos on cups and carts), recurring espresso bar service for regular office setups, barista-for-hire staffing, and seamless full-service booking with setup/cleanup included. The product portfolio is supported by a standard beverage menu organized into espresso drinks (lattes, cappuccinos, americanos, mochas, cold brew), tea and non-coffee options (matcha, chai, hot chocolate), and flavored syrups. The company serves corporate clients, schools, and private celebrations across Chicago.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mobile Coffee Cart Catering
Quantifiable outcome
- 24-hour quote response time guaranteed
Companies that use Back to the Grind
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Back to the Grind technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Back to the Grind partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Back to the Grind competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with strong training/education programs and direct-trade positioning. Comparable as a premium specialty roaster serving wholesale and event service customers.
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Nationwide specialty coffee chain owned by Nestle. Comparable through its premium coffee positioning and growing event/office catering programs competing for the same enterprise beverage budget.
- Joe Coffee Company: NYC-based specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with an active corporate catering program. Comparable through its premium positioning and corporate event/office coffee services channel.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Nationwide specialty coffee roaster with cafes, wholesale, and event service. Comparable through direct sale into the corporate office coffee service channel and overlapping specialty coffee buyer base.
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Multi-channel specialty coffee roaster with cafes, wholesale, and RTD beverages. Comparable through its premium-coffee positioning and presence in corporate office and event service channels.
- Birch Coffee: NY-based specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with a strong catering and office coffee program. Comparable through its emphasis on cafe-quality beverages delivered for events and offices.
Regional players
- Dark Matter Coffee: Chicago-based specialty roaster and cafe group. Comparable as another Chicago-rooted specialty coffee brand addressing similar local consumers and event buyers, though B2C retail rather than mobile catering.
- Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea: Chicago-based specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator. Comparable as a local specialty coffee brand competing for the same Chicago corporate/HoReCa channel, though it operates fixed cafes rather than mobile catering.
Emerging players
- Stone Lotus Coffee: Chicago-area mobile espresso catering company. Comparable as a direct local competitor in mobile coffee cart services for weddings, corporate, and private events.
- Hitch Coffee Bar: Mobile coffee cart catering company serving weddings, corporate, and private events. Comparable through its mobile cart/event coffee catering model targeting the same use cases and buyer profiles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Back to the Grind social profiles
Digital presenceBack to the Grind financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Back to the Grind leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Back to the Grind funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Back to the Grind M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Back to the Grind
What does Back to the Grind do?
Back to the Grind operates a mobile coffee catering service that dispatches professional baristas with sleek, portable espresso carts to event venues across the Chicago metropolitan area. The service delivers handcrafted espresso-based beverages, teas, matcha, and hot chocolate on-site for corporate events, brand activations, school functions, and private celebrations, with options for custom branding on cups and carts.
Is Back to the Grind a public or private company?
Back to the Grind is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Back to the Grind founded?
Back to the Grind was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Back to the Grind based?
Back to the Grind is headquartered in Forest Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Back to the Grind make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Event Coffee Catering Services are the primary driver. The others are recurring Office Espresso Service, barista for Hire and overtime Services.
Who are Back to the Grind's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Counter Culture Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee, Joe Coffee Company, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, La Colombe Coffee Roasters and Birch Coffee. Regional players are Dark Matter Coffee and Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. Emerging players are Stone Lotus Coffee and Hitch Coffee Bar.
Does Back to the Grind have an API?
No public API is recorded for Back to the Grind.
What industry is Back to the Grind in?
Back to the Grind's product category is Mobile Coffee Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAGAJ, Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations, with a secondary code of THAFADAK, Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks. Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5812.