Steve Gatier

Steve Gatier wears many hats: husband, father, proprietor, barista, and retainer of information. As the owner of Magic Brain Café in the Carpenters Square Mall for well over a decade, you’ll often find him hustling behind the coffee bar, a benevolent overlord to his crew of busy baristas. He chats affably with his customers, both regulars and newbies, always exuding an unflappable, amiable demeanor.

We caught up with him there to talk shop—coffee shop, that is.

Are you challenged in any way operating a business while having a family with three small children?

I keep it all separate. It’s helpful that my wife, Brandi, is a teacher; she’s off all summer long. And it’s great to have fantastic employees who allow me to be home with my kids during the school year.

Are you year-round residents?

Our primary home is in Vineland. We’re at our home in West Cape May during July and August when the kids are out of school. I work at the café and Brandi takes the kids to the beach every day.

Many years ago, Cape May was the town where families lived and children were raised. Was Cape May still like that when you were introduced to it?

Not at all. I was born in 1984 and my parents would bring us to Cape May from Vineland when I was a kid. Back at school I told people we had gone to Cape May, and they just stared at me like I was an anomaly. People would ask, “Why would you ever go there?” We were the only kids I ever knew of that ever went to Cape May. It is nice having three children because they are their own company.

Tell me how you ended up with Magic Brain Café.

I had worked in a restaurant; it was the only job I had ever had. My grandmother saw a listing in a real estate book that Magic Brain Café was for sale. She thought it would be perfect for me. I came and looked at it, figured out how to buy it and I did. That was in 2011.

Were there any major changes you made after purchasing it?

Well, on the day I bought it, I happened to be standing outside and these kids walked by. One kid said, “Hey, look, a cyber café! Remember when those were cool?” So that week, I ripped out the rentable computers and just made a comfortable coffee shop.

These types of comfortable cafés attract customers who often plant themselves in a cozy corner and spend hours upon hours reading or doing work on an iPad after buying only one cup of coffee or tea.

And it doesn’t bother me one bit. And it shouldn’t bother owners of cafés like this one. It looks good. It looks like a welcoming environment that people want to be part of. If you drive by a restaurant with an empty parking lot, you’re not stopping. Having those people plant themselves here all day adds to the ambiance. If I have to worry that the person who only bought one hot tea is going to hurt my business, then I have bigger problems.

A few years back, a friend of mine went into a coffee shop here in town, got a cup of coffee, sat at a table, and did some studying. The owner came over and told him that if he was going to take up a seat all day long, he would have to go somewhere else to do it.

That tells me that the business must have been floundering.

Does operating Magic Brain beat restaurant work?

Oh, yeah! It’s like cheating the system. I don’t feel like I work at all. When someone comes in here, I feel like they’re in my living room. It’s fun and it’s relaxing. I have a saying: “Service is me giving you what you ordered. Hospitality is how I made you feel by giving you what you ordered.” So, it’s more hospitality than service for me.

Have you always been the type of guy who was always eager to please?

Absolutely, one hundred percent.

What was your earliest realization that you were pleasing others?

When I first began working in a restaurant, I immediately knew that I stood out with customers and people would specifically ask for me.

Is there a pretentiousness among coffee shop patrons?

No, I don’t think there is. It’s no different than a winery where people like to go, and they like to know what it’s all about and know what they are doing there. People do the same thing here. They want to know about elevations and roasts. And those questions give us a chance to have a conversation with them. The biggest thing, once again, is the hospitality aspect of it all. It’s irrelevant what we are selling, it’s important how they feel when they are here. It’s important to remember that one particular customer gets a caramel macchiato when they come in August, or a certain shop owner likes their coffee a certain way when we prepare it. That is what we do.

Do you read many of the praises and reviews on social media and online?

Well, I try not to look at those Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews. They used to bother me. When I first opened the shop, I would sit and read them and if anything was remotely negative, I would focus on it.

But you have excellent reviews on those. Don’t you think they’re relevant?

I think they are less relevant in an everyday town, and I do think they are more relevant in a resort town. In a resort town like Cape May, people generally don’t know much about the town and will look at those reviews to give themselves some footing. I think they can be helpful. I just don’t spend time looking at them. Another coffee shop had opened in town that really got off to a good start and I wanted to show some support and I gave them a positive review.

That makes for a really nice relationship with your neighboring coffee shop owners. 

It does. Our friends at Out There Coffee were closed for a few months and they put a sign out which told people to visit Magic Brain.

Can Cape May become oversaturated with coffee shops?

The last two years have proven that to not be true. We have more coffee shops than we’ve ever had and yet, last year was my best year yet. We’re all here to work together. If you have to worry about someone else doing the same thing as you, then maybe you’re in the wrong business. There is a wonderful coffee shop on the promenade called The Buoy that opened last year. The young lady who owns it picked my brain and I was happy to share with her what I could. It’s a great coffee shop and I was so excited to have another person on the bandwagon with me.

A place like this 40 years ago would never be understood or successful. Why are they so popular now?

There’s no escape from all of us being so connected to our devices [but] people are looking for a human connection, and a place like this is a great place to make that connection. Everyone likes coffee and now there are so many more selections of coffee than there were 40 years ago. As it is with any product, variety and selection attracts people.

And yet, you keep it all very simple.

I don’t get into carrying a lot of products, but the products I do have are the best ones available. I import my croissant dough from France and choose the best quality coffees there are. If I don’t have the product that you want, I will send you to another coffee shop.

Do your three kids come to the café with you?

Not often. They know the café and come here sometimes in the summer, but I keep work and family life separate. When I am here, I give this one hundred percent and when I am home with them, I give them one hundred percent.

So many people think owning a café like yours would be the ideal business.

More times than not people come in and say things like, “Oh, I can’t wait to retire and open a coffee shop.” I think to myself that this is what I do for an active living before I retire. People do romanticize the idea of a coffee shop, so I try not to take their remarks as condescending. There is definitely a complimentary connotation to what they are expressing.

I know you love the café, but is there difficulty in operating it?

There are so many business aspects you need to be on top of with it. But most importantly is the socialization aspect of it. I mean I know how to make lattes, but I also want to remember the name of the repeat customer who has ordered it.

What do you do to chill when the season is over?

Well, I don’t go to the beach! (laughing)

Nobody who lives here goes to the beach!

Yeah, I know. Maybe 4 years ago I walked along the beach. That was enough for me. I prefer to be with my family.

Are you a strict father?

As far as making sure they are safe, yes. Other than that, I make sure they have their autonomy because it’s important for them to develop into who they are.

What attributes as a father do you hope to pass along to your children through example?

Patience and empathy. Those are two of my greatest attributes and I want them to have that toward themselves and each other. Fatherhood has made me more compassionate.

Yeah, obviously.

No, not obviously! Not everyone learns that. I mean that’s what it did for me because I was open to it. I’ll also add that I hope they learn how to properly manage time. I want them to see that I made time for all of it and that I’ve kept priorities in focus.

Can you give me an example of keeping those priorities in focus?

For instance, this is as successful as the café has ever been and the next natural step would be to make it bigger. But there’s a benefit to keeping it small. By keeping it small, my kids know who I am.

I also want to speak about your support for local non-profits. You’ve sponsored coffee days to benefit East Lynne Theater and Cape May Stage, and you’ve been very generous to anyone making a positive change in town.

Organizations and individuals approach me for a donation often. If I recognize your face and know that you’ve been responsible for helping me make the money that you’re asking for, then you’ve got my help. I can’t do this without a community and the community can’t support me if they aren’t successful.

You once sent a large tray of cookies to the East Lynne Theater cast of Dracula on their opening night.

Of course! Those actors were sitting in here every day rehearsing their lines. They earned those cookies! I want to support the arts in Cape May, one cookie at a time!

One last question. Has there been a most memorable customer at Magic Brain?

In terms of celebrities, Bradley Cooper came in last summer with his daughter. I gave her a sticker. He’s a very nice guy. But everyone who comes in my door is memorable to me. It’s what makes this place so special, they help me pay my mortgage and feed my kids. I value each one. What’s my point in doing any of this if I don’t have them?