RAPKIN: I’m surprised to hear you’re a coffee nerd. Only because the initial Blank Street pitch felt like: This isn’t the best cup of coffee you ever had, it’s going to be good enough.

“We want to be the really good cup of coffee that you drink twice a day, every day.” Image Issam Freiha, left, and Vinay Menda are the 20-something entrepreneurs who started Blank Street in ...

Notably missing from that formula is the quality of the coffee itself. But consumers, including harried city commuters, don’t seem to go to Blank Street for the best cup of coffee; they’re ...