{"id":156197,"date":"2026-10-23T11:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T15:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=156197"},"modified":"2026-10-23T16:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:08:46","slug":"ucf-alums-bring-a-fresh-brew-to-familiar-grounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-alums-bring-a-fresh-brew-to-familiar-grounds\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Alums Bring a Fresh Brew to Familiar Grounds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Inside Weekday Coffee & Matcha, students settle into couches near a cozy fireplace and gather around tables over handcrafted drinks. Behind the counter, two longtime friends and UCF alumni are finding their footing in a place that already feels like home.<\/p>\n

For Ricky Bravo \u201917<\/strong> and David Benjamin \u201921<\/strong>, opening the shop meant bringing years of experience and an ambitious idea back to campus. Steps from where they made some of their favorite college memories, they\u2019re building a place for the next generation of Knights to make their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve walked up and down Memory Mall for years,\u201d Benjamin says. \u201cI would hammock there all the time and play spike ball with my friends. So every part of this just feels like home in a sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shop opened Aug. 24, the first day of fall classes. But the idea began with a much smaller space \u2014 and a dream Benjamin thought might take years to reach.<\/p>\n

Back on Familiar Grounds<\/h2>\n

Long before they shared a business, Bravo and Benjamin shared a home \u2014 and a growing list of favorite Orlando coffee shops.<\/p>\n

Introduced through a mutual friend, they became roommates during college in Summer 2016. Bravo, a couple of years older, brought Benjamin along to explore the city\u2019s coffee scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went everywhere together and had a ton of fun,\u201d Benjamin says. \u201cWe grew a pretty close friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their careers took different turns, but each gained experience that would eventually lead them to Weekdays.<\/p>\n

Benjamin\u2019s parents, both first-generation immigrants and entrepreneurs, inspired his ambition to build something of his own. At UCF, he studied integrated business<\/a> and interned with the Knight Vision program, helping the university transition to Workday. After graduating, he worked at financial services company Robinhood before returning to UCF as an IT project manager for four years.<\/p>\n

Bravo, a first-generation American and college student, initially planned to pursue physical therapy. After earning a degree in sport and exercise science<\/a> at 20, he took time to explore another interest.<\/p>\n

At nonprofit cafe DUO58, he started as a volunteer dishwasher and eventually became director of training. Training with the Specialty Coffee Association in California deepened his appreciation for coffee\u2019s journey from seed to cup. Work at Lineage Coffee Roasting strengthened his connections within Orlando\u2019s coffee community.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift into finance at Robinhood, where he and Benjamin became coworkers. But the pull toward coffee and community remained.<\/p>\n

A Small Pitch with Grande Possibilities<\/h2>\n

Benjamin spotted a possibility in an empty kiosk near UCF\u2019s Reflecting Pond.<\/p>\n

The former Topper\u2019s ice cream spot looked like an ideal grab-and-go cafe. The surrounding city offered plenty of inspiration: Orlando ranks No. 1 on WalletHub\u2019s 2026 list of America’s best coffee cities. <\/strong><\/p>\n

For Benjamin and Bravo, that thriving coffee culture deserved a home on campus. In February, Benjamin contacted UCF\u2019s vice president of real estate with a proposal to create one.<\/p>\n

\u201c … my dream one day \u2026 [was] to take over the Starbucks on Memory Mall.\u201d \u2014 David Benjamin \u201921<\/strong>, UCF alum and Weekday co-founder<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then he called Bravo, who was planning his own coffee cart.<\/p>\n

Before their pitch meeting, Benjamin shared a bigger ambition:<\/p>\n

\u201cI still get goosebumps thinking about it. But I tell Ricky, \u2018I know we’re pitching for this little kiosk, but my dream one day \u2026 is to take over the Starbucks on Memory Mall,\u201d Benjamin says.<\/p>\n

The kiosk proved unavailable. But in March, the university offered them the Starbucks space instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just lit up. I called Ricky, freaking out,\u201d Benjamin says. \u201cI’m like, dude, it’s happening. Then we got right to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

With UCF Dining\u2019s approval, the founders had just a few months to prepare. They turned to Lineage Coffee Roasting, just five minutes from campus, for guidance on products and design. Bravo and his wife drew on their rental-property design experience to create a bright interior with couches and a mix of intimate seating and communal tables for both quiet study sessions and conversation.<\/p>\n