{"id":446881,"date":"2022-05-14T02:25:29","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T23:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/rutgers-football-legend-eric-legrand-opens-namesake-coffee-house\/"},"modified":"2022-05-14T02:25:29","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T23:25:29","slug":"rutgers-football-legend-eric-legrand-opens-namesake-coffee-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/rutgers-football-legend-eric-legrand-opens-namesake-coffee-house\/","title":{"rendered":"#Rutgers football legend Eric LeGrand opens namesake coffee house"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5889c571c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5889c571c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/rutgers-football-legend-eric-legrand-opens-namesake-coffee-house\/#%E2%80%9CRutgers_football_legend_Eric_LeGrand_opens_namesake_coffee_house%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Rutgers football legend Eric LeGrand opens namesake coffee house&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CRutgers_football_legend_Eric_LeGrand_opens_namesake_coffee_house%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Rutgers football legend Eric LeGrand opens namesake coffee house&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Eric LeGrand is known for grinding. <\/p>\n<p>Since the former Rutgers football player was paralyzed from the neck down during a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> against Army at Metlife in 2010, he\u2019s become synonymous with his hard work, perseverance and stubborn optimism against all odds. <\/p>\n<p>But the inspiring New Jersey native is adding a more literal meaning to the word grind \u2014 with coffee beans. <\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, the 31-year-old is opening his <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/legrandcoffeehouse.com\/\">namesake coffee house<\/a> in Woodbridge, NJ, with a \u201cLeGrand opening\u201d that\u2019s been nearly two years in the making.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCoffee is something\u00a0that you\u00a0can bring people\u00a0together with. Eighty five percent of the world drinks it,\u201d LeGrand told The Post. The former defensive tackle who is a motivational speaker, broadcaster and philanthropist behind Team LeGrand had been percolating on opening a business. And during the divisive early days of the pandemic, his mind turned to the caffeinated beverage because of its unifying nature. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-6.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"LeGrand who was paralyzed in a 2010 game is blazing a new path in the coffee world\" class=\"wp-image-22266583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-6.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-6.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-6.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>LeGrand, who was paralyzed in a 2010 game, is blazing a new path in the coffee world.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe idea came at a time when the country\u00a0was at each other\u2019s throats and I was thinking\u00a0how can I put my brand on something that helps people. People\u00a0look to me for inspiration and motivation. And over a cup of coffee, there are so many things that h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en. Good things that happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But while the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> concept of the drink resonated with him, he\u2019d never actually tried the stuff. That changed in August 2020, when he took his first sip: a simple cup of hot black coffee.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-5.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"LeGrand behind the counter which was made extra wide so he can maneuver around  \" class=\"wp-image-22266614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-5.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>LeGrand behind the counter, which was made extra wide so he can maneuver around.  <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTell you what, it changed my life. I said, \u2018I am missing out on some good stuff.\u2019 Ever since then, it\u2019s been a journey,\u201d said LeGrand who now starts his day with an iced latte.<\/p>\n<p>He called the mayor of Woodbridge about his proposal, and three hours later he put LeGrand on the phone with town\u2019s business honchos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have Starbucks and Dunkin but there\u2019s no mom and pop coffee shop in Woodbridge. The people here always supported me, so this is something I wanted to do. They put their trust in me and know when I go after something, I am really going to put my full effort into it,\u201d said LeGrand who took on a space inside a new residential development on Green Street steps from the train station.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The store was wired by google so LeGrand is able to use voice prompts and a phone to manage different aspects of the shop\" class=\"wp-image-22266653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The store was wired by Google so LeGrand is able to use voice prompts and a phone to manage different aspects of the shop.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He then hired Bellissimo coffee consultants out of Portland and immersed himself in the industry and the product. Last year LeGrand Coffee House launched as an online business, selling beans to customers in all 50 states, while they worked on the brick and mortar location.<\/p>\n<p>LeGrand, who is in a power wheelchair, designed the space to accommodate others in chairs or with special needs: The doors are wider, the bathrooms are larger and there are high-top tables customers in chairs can fit under.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd behind the counter, it\u2019s big enough so I can maneuver back and forth and not bump into things,\u201d he added. It\u2019s also been wired by Google, so that LeGrand can control the temperature, lights, music and other business functions with his voice. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish more people would think about [accessibility]. A lot of times, it\u2019s out of sight out of mind. When you\u2019re living in this world every single day, it\u2019s always on your mind. And the people who are closest to me, they always think about it. Everywhere they go they say,  \u2018Eric wouldn\u2019t be able to get around here.\u2019 I am trying to raise awareness and attention to the things that need to be talked about.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The outside of the new coffee house in  Woodbridge, NJ\" class=\"wp-image-22266720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-coffee-house-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The outside of the new coffee house in Woodbridge, NJ.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When it opens its doors, it will serve pastries and monkey bread from Balthazar \u2014 and in a nod to his alma mater, a specialty drink called the Scarlett Knight which is a mocha coffee with raspberry and chocolate syrup. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a hit so far,\u201d he said of early tastings with friends and family. <\/p>\n<p>LeGrand\u2019s framed Rutgers football jersey hangs on the wall outside of his office at the cafe. It was a gift from head coach Greg Schiano, with whom he shares a special bond. \u201cCoach had it framed and everything. He said, \u2018This is my gift to the shop.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s spent the last week putting the final touches and turning many eager early birds away. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople keep coming in because they think we\u2019re open. They\u2019re so enthusiastic. It\u2019s really exciting and goes to show you, if you do good in the world, it will come back your way,\u201d said LeGrand, who wants to make this a New Jersey destination and a potential flagship for more locations.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-rutgers-3.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Rutgers coach Greg Schiano leaned over LeGrand after he was taken off the field\" class=\"wp-image-22266675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-rutgers-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-rutgers-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/eric-legrand-rutgers-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rutgers coach Greg Schiano leaned over LeGrand after he was taken off the field.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But beyond the community he\u2019s building, LeGrand \u2014 who is also learning how to speak Spanish \u2014 hopes his business endeavor serves as an example to others that anything is possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t even lift my hand to put a cup of coffee to my mouth, but here I am with a full business. There is no reason for me to be negative and I want to share that with other people,\u201d he said adding, \u201cFocus on the things you have, and if there is something you really want, you work your butt off to get it.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/13\/rutgers-football-legend-eric-legrand-opens-namesake-coffee-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Rutgers football legend Eric LeGrand opens namesake coffee house&#8221; Eric LeGrand is known for grinding. Since the former Rutgers football player was paralyzed from the neck down during a game against Army at Metlife in 2010, he\u2019s become synonymous with his hard work, perseverance and stubborn optimism against all odds. But the inspiring New Jersey&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":446882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Eric-LeGrand-3-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129104,72360,129152,77962,28264,99379],"class_list":["post-446881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-13-22","tag-coffee","tag-eric-legrand","tag-greg-schiano","tag-new-jersey","tag-rutgers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}