The History of Go Get Em Tiger

A decade of GGET. It’s not lost on us what it means to have not only lasted this long, but to be thriving. To say this milestone wouldn't be possible without our customers and staff past and present, would be a huge understatement. We serve the best community out there, period. To celebrate, we put together a timeline to reflect on the key moments that have defined us over these last 10 years. Consider it both a thank you and a reminder that we couldn’t have done it without you.

October 2012

Glanville & Babinski

Founders Kyle Glanville and Charles Babinski launch GGET as a pop-up under the name G&B Coffee along with Jessica Koslow’s now legendary Sqirl restaurant in Virgil Village. Between the two of them, Kyle and Charles bring to G&B Coffee years of bleeding edge specialty coffee experience, a fanatical dedication to quality, and two US barista championship wins to boot (Kyle in 2008, Charles would go on to win in 2015.)

June 2013

Innovation at the Inception

G&B opens at Grand Central Market and the first Go Get Em Tiger opens in Larchmont Village. From the jump GGET offers a tight drink menu focused on the hits and serves the best coffees from the best roasters. Small innovations are made to make the coffee ritual more humane. Batch brewed coffee, pre-dosed espresso shots, and a bar style service. The biggest contribution? An opening staff that goes on to make invaluable contributions to GGET and the greater World of specialty coffee (we see you Sumi Ali, Jaymie Lao, Billy Hawkins, Noah McKeown, John Lamberton, Brent Glanville, and so many more.)

June 2014

The Best Iced Latte in America

GGET achieves an accomplishment with a lasting impact— in the form of a full front page headline feature in the New York Times food section titled “The Best Iced Latte in America?” We are the first coffee company ever to receive that honor. In the piece, writer Oliver Strand posits that not only is the Iced Almond Macadamia Latte one of the best iced coffees in the country, but “almost certainly the best iced latte in America.” Ask for a “New York'' at any of our shops and decide for yourself.

March 2014

Building a Menu

GGET launches its first kitchen at the Larchmont location with Chef Todd Chang at the helm, initially serving a simple menu of toasts, waffles, and sandwiches. The menu expands with a third location in Los Feliz with Chef Ria Dolly Barbosa, leaning hard on great local vendors like La Bahn Ranch and Nicholas Family Farms for its produce and ingredients.

November, 2016

Thanksgiving Day Service

As GGET grows so does the buzz around their Thanksgiving service. What started with co-founder Kyle Glanville sending out mischievous invites via twitter to their first ever Holiday service at Sqirl, is now a full blown extravaganza. From petting zoos to live music and haircuts, every year we find new ways to go over the top. Expect to see ambitious, elevated, and delicious takes on a certain corporate coffee chain’s holiday menu like our Pumpkin Spice Latte, EggNog Trio, and Gingerbread Latte.

August 2018

Roasted in LA County

From the start Kyle and Charles carefully select great coffees from great roasters all over the world, with a focus on the best offerings from the best operators. But in 2018 a crucial evolution takes place at GGET: The decision to source and roast their own coffee at a new facility in Vernon just outside of DTLA. With control over cup quality, GGET can roast to suit their high brewing standards and further dial in cup quality. Arriving soon after is GGET’s take on a subscription program, The Coffee Club.

September 2018 - Present

The Family Grows

It’s at this time that GGET’s culture and identity take root and grow the Go Get Em way— that’s to say, with intention. Starting with Highland Park, The Row DTLA, then Weho, GGET expands all the way to Culver City in 2020, our first west side location. Over the next two years two locations in Santa Monica (Main & Montana) would soon follow. Make no mistake, GGET is LA coffee through and through.

April 2020

GGET Finds the Yes

A core aspect of GGET’s service style has always been finding the “yes” in any given situation. Presented with all the hurdles and heartaches the Covid-19 pandemic had to offer (goodbye bar style service) GGET finds a new way to connect with the community: by offering commissary goods at cafe locations. House made english muffins, frozen mini biscuits, CSA boxes, and the much coveted yeast, are just some of the pantry items served alongside shelf staples.

September 2022

Redefining Loyalty

With the store count adding up, it becomes GGET’s mission to find new ways to give both first time and day one customers an unequal loyalty experience. This core idea evolves into the most ambitious rollout to date— The Unlimited Pilot Program. While our members receive one free drink every hour on the hour, at the heart of the program we’ve set out to define what it is to be a regular, build community, and create a shared experience with our customers.

June 2023 and Beyond

We’re Only Getting Started

After 10 years, we’re only just beginning to push the boundaries and definitions of what’s possible in coffee. Always looking to what’s next, we have exciting new ground to break both literally and figuratively. As we say to all of our friends here, we can’t wait to see you on the other side of the bar.