Frequency Coffee Moves to MacArthur Park, Plans Profit-Sharing and Free Trips for Employees

As specialty coffee continues to invade Downtown Los Angeles at an incredible clip, things are getting much tighter for the little guys. Not that Kian Abedini, owner of Compelling & Rich roaster and the name behind the months-long Frequency Coffee pop-up at Gelateria Uli, is complaining — his well-received stint has certainly been a success.

Now it’s time for Abedini to move on, with hopes of (relatively) quickly landing a space near MacArthur Park. Calling it "one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Los Angeles," Abedini says that he hopes Frequency can become a place for community to gather. They’ll also host weekly free tastings, and hope to rely on only LA-based vendors like Clark Street Bread for everything they sell inside the shop.

What’s even more interesting: Abedini says that, when Frequency Coffee returns, they’ll be doing away with tipping, instead relying on a base charge for drinks to get his employees in on a profit-sharing plan that offers a percentage from each coffee sold.

While some restaurant customers have lashed out in the recent past about such straightforward measures to pay everyone a living wage, Abedini says that the payment change will allow Frequency to pay their employees above the minimum wage, and with the leftover profits they’ll be giving embedded employees of one year or more the chance to take an expenses-paid trip to a coffee origin site.

If you’d like to help contribute, Frequency has launched an Indiegogo campaign to try to bring the coffee shop to life. And in the meantime, check out Frequency Coffee at Gelateria Uli before it closes up shop on June 30. After that, you'll be able to find Kian Abedini’s specialty brews as they make special appearances around MacArthur Park throughout the summer, building anticipation for what could become one of LA’s most talked-about coffee shops.