John Quintos
Owner
Système D Cafe by Cento Coffee | Center for Architecture + Design
My goal is to match my established San Francisco coffee culture to the Center and bringing quality and simplicity to the space. The combination of mechanical design of vintage motorcycles and the progression of coffee preparation.
What excites you about being in the Center?
The communal experience — my goal was to be offline and converse with coffee. What inspired me in this space is to bring back the enjoyment of coffee and making it a tangible, aesthetic experience. Learning about people and what starts the conversation. What do they want and why did they find us? We love to offer them an experience, and a unique space. They come in wanting a specific experience and we’re happy to fulfill that.
The design of the Center alone builds social interactions around the communal table , gallery etc. it provided Cento to execute a real in-person coffee experience a good percentage of our customers interact with our baristas and socializing with other customers — during preparation and enjoying their coffee at the Center.
I want to work for the small business economic development committee to help the youth. The San Francisco Free enterprise zone helped me start my nightclub with four friends decades ago where I raised $60,000 and got a low interest rate loan. I want to be part of helping the business owners and make the city vibrant again. Young people are going to do that.
Established in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood in 2008, Cento Coffee has built a reputation among its loyal customer base as a key player in the thriving Bay Area specialty coffee scene. Owner and Bay Area native, John Quintos opened Cento Coffee Bar on Ritch Street in 2008, an offshoot of the original Cafe Lambretta in Russian Hill. Vega Coffee on Folsom Street followed in 2012. In 2015, after seven years of retail success, John partnered with master roaster Alex Roberts to launch the Cento Coffee Brand resulting in the creation of 3 blends: Clutch, African Presence and Slow Jam to satisfy multiple coffee preparations. The Center for Architecture + Design is proud to partner with John as he continues with the same enthusiasm as he did when he first opened.