In the heart of Rockaway Park, Queens, tucked between bus stops and a few doors down from the local fire and police stations, sits a beloved neighborhood café: Rockaway Roasters. Surrounded by schools, daycares, and just steps from the Rockaway Beach library, this cozy coffee shop has built a loyal customer base despite stiff competition—including a Starbucks. With two other nearby cafes, what makes Rockaway Roasters a local favorite among Queens coffee lovers? Maybe it’s the baristas crafting lattes and açaí bowls with care. Maybe it’s the hyper-seasonal decor that turns each holiday into a visual experience. Whatever the reason, I’ve been sipping matcha and vanilla chai lattes here for nearly five years—and I finally sat down with owner Victoria Cori to hear her Queens cafe community story.
Meet the Woman Behind Rockaway Park’s Favorite Coffee Shop
JAMES RASHAD: How does this story begin?
VICTORIA CORI: We’ve been here 10 years. 2015 we opened. I’m the original employee. So I’ve been going at it 10 years.
JR: There’s hundreds of businesses that could have been in this exact location. Why coffee?
VC: Coffee is a staple in almost everyone’s life. For one, it’s an addiction, but a better addiction. The coffee thing was not my idea, but once I grew into it and I learned a lot about it, I got really interested in it and started to move forward with it.
JR: You have thee perfect location. Close to schools and daycare centers, down the street from the fire department and police station. Across the street from the library. Next door to the veterinarian. Could you be anymore imbedded in the community?
VC: Yeah. It almost feels like we are a staple to people in the community, even in people’s everyday lives. We see people going to work every morning. We had people that have been coming here since day one, every single day. As, you know, you’ve been here a while too. And it feels like we are not only are we a stable to them, but I help people every single morning. You know, even if it’s the littlest thing, even if it just cheers somebody up, just to give them one cup of coffee and it cheers them up in the slightest way. I know I improve their day just by a little bit.
JR: Your dad seems to be your biggest supporter. Tell me about your old man.
VC: My dad, he was born and raised here, right in his house, right up the block. We did move out to Long Island for a little while. My younger ages, I went to high school there, middle school and high school. And then when I graduated, he wanted to come back home. This is his place, you know, this is his home. He takes care of his house, the house he grew up in. It was my great great grandparents’ house. And it was just a place that he wanted to be. And he is very involved in the neighborhood. He’s on the community board. He does stuff every single day to improve the neighborhood. And I think he’s like one of the most amazing men.
JR: Is he the original owner?
VC: He’s not. No. So the original owners, they live up in Bell Harbor. They’re not from the side of town, but they decided to open the place back in 2015. And the coffee thing was kind of a side hustle for them. I don’t think it’s something that they wanted to do long term, but then it blew up and it turned into such a great thing, Rockaway Roasters. They finally approached me to become the owner. And I was hesitant at first. Then this past September, I decided, why not just take the plunge to do it? Because I’ve always wanted to have a business. I just didn’t know.
JR: With all of the Earth tones, the aesthetic is always warm and feels like home but your dad really upped the ante with the seasonal and holiday decorations. The gigantic coffee mug out front is now a landmark.
VC: My dad’s always been, since I’m a little girl, the most creative hands on guy. He likes to do everything himself. Everything’s from scratch. And he honestly is one of the most creative people I’ve ever seen. Like he can build anything for scratch, paint anything, make it look like the most incredible thing, you know? He never has a plan. He just comes up with it right on the spot. Like this is it. His brain’s constantly moving and he never stops. He likes to see people’s reactions. You see how it’s more homey; people like to feel like they’re at home. That’s like the vibe that he likes to give off.
JR: How has the community responded to the new designs and has it brought more customers?
VC: Yes! You could definitely see a huge difference. I mean, from the tiny decorations to all the big seasonal ones like Christmas or St. Patty’s Day, you see people walk in and they stop and look around and they’re amazed. Even if it’s the tiniest little switch up that he’ll do, but people love it and they enjoy it. We had this idea of letting people draw or write out their own little messages and hang in them all in the string lights. People come in and look for their messages; you see like the joy in their faces. And like you said, it’s become such of a homey vibe and the business has definitely improved a lot.
JR: This is truly a Queens cafe community story. We talked about how you’ve impacted the community but how has the community impacted you?
VC: It’s such a crazy thought because I’ve been here here 10 years. I’m the original employee, first person ever hired. When I started, I had just turned 21. I just turned 31 and people have seen me go through all sorts of phases, happiness, sadness, depression, whatever. People saw me get married. On my wedding day, people have said, “can we come watch you get married”? It was right on the beach over here. I said, “sure. why not? The beach is open to the public”. People have seen me from being a 20 year old girl just figuring it out. I had no clue what the heck I wanted to do. Nothing of the sort. I was like a lost soul. For the community to see me now and see me take over a business and not only improve but, earning my way to success on my own. It’s a great feeling. Crazy.
JR: I’ve pretty much tried everything on your menu. It doesn’t change much. And I understand why. You make all these things very well.
VC: Our number one thing that we do is put love into food, coffee, the smoothies, acai. People could tell when you put love into whatever you’re making for them. You don’t want to put anger or hate into something. You can tell a difference. But everything we make, we make sure it’s like the most perfect thing. And it might not be perfect to some people, but to us it’s perfect. I say about 99% of people leave with a smile on their face. You know, we’ll always get some negative energy. That’s a part of having a business, but we really don’t get too much of that. And I think that’s because we do everything as best as we can.
JR: You don’t change personnel much. Tell me about your amazing staff of baristas.
VC: I like to make sure we keep more of like a family vibe in here, even with like the past owners. So now we all have always really connected. And like, no matter who we brought in, we always try to make everyone feel very welcome. No negative energy. If you give more of that family vibe, I think that makes people want to stay longer.
JR: Starbucks has opened a new location not too far from here. Yet, your loyal customers have stayed true and business is still booming. That has to feel good.
VC: People still come here! Yes. It feels amazing. Recently people that just discovered our shop literally have said they will never go back to Starbucks ever again. For example, this woman right over here. She tried our coffee for the first time, like two weeks ago. She’s been here every day since. Yeah. Like I said, we put love into everything we do, people can tell.
JR: What would you tell to a 21 year old lost soul trying to find their way in this crazy world?
VC: My biggest thing is never give up. So many times… (cue tears) I’m so sorry. No, it’s emotional. I wanted to give up and I didn’t, you know? And now I’m here. and I’m happy. I’m so happy. That’s why I’m crying. I told you, I’m very emotional person. I thought I was never going to get anywhere. And it changed. I just didn’t quit. Kept pushing through. I kept working hard. If I made it. So you can too.
JR: Where do we go from here?
VC: Well, I hope we stay here for as long as we possibly. I think we’ll be here long term, at least for the next, hopefully five, if not 10 years. Another 10 years, how amazing would that be? But the motivation is there. We’re trying to keep it going. I think we’re doing really good at that. And who knows? Maybe in the future we’ll be able to franchise. You never know. But that is a goal, you know, that’s a little while away and a lot of work. But I think at the rate we’re going, we’ll get there.
JR: Thank you for the conversation and for the dirty chai lattes with oat milk and vanilla syrup.
VC: Thank you. Sorry for crying..
If you can’t make it Rockaway Beach Blvd to grab a cup of Joe, visit the Rockaway Roasters website and place a mobile order. Enjoy?
