Mayorga Coffee Opens After Costco at Wheaton Mall

The Mayorga Coffee that opened Wednesday across from the Costco in the Westfield Wheaton mall is far from a Starbucks look-alike.

There's no seating, and you won't find lattes or cappuccinos on the menu. Instead of croissants or muffins, you can order empanadas, flan or Cuban pastries called pastelitos.

"Some people might be shocked, but it's more in line with the coffee culture that we know," said Martin Mayorga, president and founder of Mayorga Coffee.

What the Rockville-based chain is doing in Wheaton is a test model for a walk-up coffee and pastry shop, he said.

He calls it "Mayorga Café Latino."

"It's a big risk," Mayorga said, but he's confident that it will turn out well.

The construction issues that delayed Costco's originally scheduled Oct. 18 grand opening also threw a wrench in Mayorga's plans. But the waiting game that began last fall is finally over. Costco is open, and Mayorga with it.

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