Thou Mayest

Thou Mayest is an independent Kansas City coffee roaster and café founded in 2012, whose River Market location — Thou Mayest River Quay, in the former Quay Coffee space — operates on a coffee-by-day, cocktail-bar-by-night model.

Description

Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters is an independent Kansas City small-batch coffee roaster established in 2012. The brand’s name references a passage from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden concerning the importance of human choice. Its River Market café, branded Thou Mayest River Quay, occupies the former Quay Coffee space at 412 Delaware St — described as a “cozy brick cabin” in the historic district once known in the 1970s as the “River Quay.”

The River Quay location is defined by a dual-concept model: it serves specialty coffee and café drinks during the day and operates as a cocktail bar in the evening, with no hard cutoff between the two service modes. The space also functions as a community and events venue, offering coffee tastings, catering, and rentals.

Ownership and history

Thou Mayest was co-founded in 2012; Bo Nelson is the public-facing co-founder (referring to himself as “El Honcho”), with Bill Holzhueter as co-owner serving as roaster and general manager. In April 2019, Thou Mayest acquired Quay Coffee — whose owners Cory Stipp and Dominic Scalise approached Nelson about a sale — taking over the River Market shop at 412 Delaware as well as a Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art location. Nelson, who had been friends with the Quay owners before Thou Mayest opened, called it “a natural fit”; the Quay name was retained initially before the location was rebranded Thou Mayest River Quay. Correction (resolved): the base-data owner name “Bill Anderson” is not supported by any source and is an error; the verified co-owners are Bo Nelson and Bill Holzhueter (sources 1, 2).

Tier classification

Tier 1 (provisional). Thou Mayest is an independent, founder-led KC roaster with no chain or corporate parent, woven into the local scene through its acquisition and stewardship of a beloved River Market coffee shop (Quay). That continuity and the owners’ deep ties to the KC coffee community reflect the pride-and-roots quality Tier 1 measures. ** Bo Nelson’s and Bill Holzhueter’s born-and-raised KC-metro status is not yet confirmed; reconfirm tier on that basis.**

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-23 · Source: Thou Mayest official site (Café Menu, Cocktail Menu, Happy Hour Menu) · URL(s): https://thoumayest.com/pages/cafe-menu · https://thoumayest.com/pages/cocktail-menu · https://thoumayest.com/pages/happy-hour-menu · Confidence: High · Price tier: Medium

The brand publishes one set of menus across its locations; the Café Menu (espresso/coffee, tea, food) and Cocktail Menu apply at River Quay, with Happy Hour service noted (per the location page) at the River Quay shop. Prices are brand-published and subject to change.

Espresso & coffee

• Espresso (2oz) $3.75 · Macchiato (3oz) $4 · Cortado (4oz) $4 · Cappuccino (6oz) $4.25.(source 7)
• Americano $3.75 / $4 / $4.25 (8/12/16oz); Latte $5 / $5.50 / $6; Seasonal Latte $6 / $6.50 / $7.(source 7)
• Batch Brewed (“Smooth Operator” or “Wild Child”) $3.50 / $4 (12/16oz), Bottomless $7; Cold Brew (16oz) $6; Barrel Conditioned Cold Brew (10oz) $6.(source 7)
• Syrups +$0.75 (Vanilla, Lavender, Hazelnut, Vegan Caramel, Spiced Brown Sugar, Spicy Simple w/ Serrano, Rose, Cherry, and more); oat/almond milk +$0.75–$1.25.(source 7)

Tea, steamers & non-coffee

• Hot teas $4.25–$6 (White Nepal, Green Kodama Sencha, Black Sunstone, Oolong Li Shan, herbal options).(source 7)
• Hot Chocolate $4–$5; London Fog $4.50–$5.50; Chai Latte $5–$6; Matcha Latte $5–$6; Steamer $3–$4.(source 7)
• Iced Tea $5; Sparkling Rosella Herbal Tea $5; Sparkling House-Made Matcha Limeade $5.50; Kombucha $5.50.(source 7)

Food

• Seasonal baked goods — daily selection from local bakeries (price not published).(source 7)
• Cereal Bar (noted River Quay–only) $5.(source 7)

Cocktail / bar program (coffee-by-day, cocktails-by-night)

• TM Signatures: Irish Coffee $12 (Smooth Operator drip, Jameson, sugar, whipped cream, nutmeg); Thou Drankest $12 (cold brew, J. Rieger Vodka, sweet cream); Spirit of KC $12; Espresso Martini $13; Spiked Matcha Limeade $12; The Warmer $12 (hot chocolate, Licor 43); Coffee Negroni $12; Barrel Conditioned Cold Brew Martini $15; Ice Cold Amaro shot $5.(source 8)
• Classics & favorites: Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Negroni, Horsefeather, Martini, Caffè Tonic, Bloody Mary, Mimosa, Hot Toddy ($12 each); Pickleback / Industry Standard $6.(source 8)
• Highballs $10; Wine & Bubbles (Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco) $8.(source 8)
• Happy Hour (weekdays 4–6 PM): Buck (can of Stag) $2, Mystery Beer $3, Ice Cold Amaro $4, Pickleback $5, Buck Shot $6, KC Lowlife $7, wine $7, select cocktails $10.(source 9)

Price tier: Medium — specialty-coffee and craft-cocktail pricing typical of KC independents; no fixed kitchen/food menu beyond bakery pastries and the River Quay cereal bar.

Links

• Website: https://thoumayest.com
• Instagram: @thou_mayest_river_quay — https://www.instagram.com/thou_mayest_river_quay/ (handle confirmed via official locations page, source 6)
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuayCoffee/ (River Quay location page, formerly Quay Coffee)

See also

• river-market
• the-roasterie
• oddly-correct-coffee
• broadway-cafe-roasting-company
• crows-coffee
• monarch-coffee

Sources

1. Startland News — “Thou Mayest acquires Quay Coffee; three new locations…” — https://startlandnews.com/2019/04/thou-mayest-quay-coffee-thee-outpost/ — accessed 2026-05-30
2. Feast Magazine — “One On One: Bo Nelson, Co-Founder and Roaster, Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters” — https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/one-on-one-bo-nelson-co-founder-and-roaster-thou-mayest-coffee-roasters/article_94ca3196-606a-11e4-95bc-0017a43b2370.html — accessed 2026-05-30
3. Thou Mayest official site — River Quay page — https://thoumayest.com/pages/thou-mayest-river-quay — accessed 2026-05-30
4. KC River Market member listing — https://kcrivermarket.com/member/thou-mayest-river-quay/ — accessed 2026-05-30
5. Yelp — Thou Mayest River Quay, 412 Delaware St — https://www.yelp.com/biz/thou-mayest-river-quay-kansas-city-2 — accessed 2026-05-30 — asserts: phone (816) 897-0505; address; active reviews through June 2026.
6. Thou Mayest official site — Locations page — https://thoumayest.com/pages/location — accessed 2026-06-21 — asserts: River Quay hours (Sun & Tue–Thu 7am–9pm, Mon 7am–4pm, Fri–Sat 7am–11pm); River Quay Instagram @thou_mayest_river_quay; Nelson-Atkins location (4525 Oak St, Bloch Building) still active; three Café Equinox locations (Shawnee, Overland Park, Liberty).
7. Thou Mayest official site — Café Menu — https://thoumayest.com/pages/cafe-menu — accessed 2026-06-23 — asserts: espresso drinks (espresso, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, Americano, latte, seasonal latte) and prices; batch brew / cold brew / barrel-conditioned cold brew; hot/iced teas, hot chocolate, London Fog, chai latte, matcha latte, steamers; syrup and alt-milk pricing; seasonal baked goods; River Quay cereal bar $5.
8. Thou Mayest official site — Cocktail Menu — https://thoumayest.com/pages/cocktail-menu — accessed 2026-06-23 — asserts: TM Signatures (Irish Coffee, Thou Drankest, Spirit of KC, Espresso Martini, Spiked Matcha Limeade, The Warmer, Coffee Negroni, Barrel Conditioned Cold Brew Martini, Ice Cold Amaro) and prices; classics/favorites list; highballs $10; wine & bubbles $8.
9. Thou Mayest official site — Happy Hour Menu — https://thoumayest.com/pages/happy-hour-menu — accessed 2026-06-23 — asserts: weekday 4–6 PM happy hour; Buck $2, Mystery Beer $3, Ice Cold Amaro $4, Pickleback $5, Buck Shot $6, KC Lowlife $7, wine $7, select cocktails $10.

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 6 sources. Correction to base data: owner is Bo Nelson (co-founder) with Bill Holzhueter (co-owner/roaster) — NOT “Bill Anderson.” Brand founded 2012 (confirmed); River Quay location acquired from Quay Coffee in April 2019 (confirmed). Coffee-by-day / cocktail-by-night concept confirmed.

2026-06-21 | Compiler — source-link remediation: Confirmed this page is the River Market location (412 Delaware St, in the former Quay Coffee space), NOT the Lee’s Summit / Strother District Thou Mayest. Resolved: phone (816) 897-0505 verified via Yelp (source 5); current hours verified via official locations page (source 6); Instagram handle @thou_mayest_river_quay confirmed (source 6); Nelson-Atkins location confirmed still active and Café Equinox banners noted (source 6); the erroneous “Bill Anderson” base-data note reframed as a resolved correction (Nelson/Holzhueter sourced to 1, 2). Still unresolved (genuinely): Bo Nelson’s and Bill Holzhueter’s born-and-raised KC-metro status is not confirmable from any reputable source — tier remains provisional pending that.