Six pack abs and a coffee at Barista Boyz grand opening

Barista Boyz off Broadway -- which replaced the old Buzz Stop back in January at 1122 E. Madison -- had their grand opening on Saturday. I took a stroll down the hill to pay a visit after my partner called and said, "You have to get down here, the Boyz are shirtless!"

Barista Boyz of Broadway, 1122 E Madison St

Following the trend to feature bikini clad baristas to attract business in other parts of the state, owner Dave Ray thought topless guys would do well on Capitol Hill. It seems his theory may be proving true, "today is the busiest day I've had so far, and it is only half over," Ray said with a big smile.

They were playing dance music and offering free samples and coupons for their kosher hot dogs to people passing by.

"It's funny," Ray said, "the women are doing a double take. One woman turned bright red as she pointed at one of the Boyz. She clearly wanted to stop by, but her boyfriend was not so interested," he laughed.

Barista Boyz is adjacent to the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ray said he had a meeting with the principal prior to opening to share his business plan. He assured the principal that shirts would stay on until 3:30 PM well after school was over.  According to Ray, the principal was happy with that arrangement.

Coffee Cop froths some foam

One of the shirtless Boyz made my coffee. He was wearing hand-cuffs in his belt loop and aviator sunglasses. I asked him what his stage name was. "That's a great question," he pondered, "I don't have one yet. What do you think it should be?"

"How about Coffee Cop?" I suggested.

"Great! I'll go with that!" Coffee Cop said, while frothing milk for my latte. 

Meanwhile, Ray was talking to a guy with curly brown hair straddling a 10 speed bike. He was interested in a job, "We'll be hiring more Boyz soon. You should stop by in a couple of weeks," Ray said.

If you missed Saturday's Grand Opening, don't worry. Dave plans to keep the festivities going for the next several weekends. They are open M-F from 6:00 AM -6:00 PM and they are open from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.