Manhattan’s first Dutch Bros will soon open to the community, stirring differing opinions among locals about the plethora of coffee shops in the city.
Following the opening of Bandiadas Coffee Co. and 7 Brew earlier this year, the new drive-thru will be located at 310 Tuttle Creek Blvd., North of Community First Bank, and will soon join the growing community of local and national chains students and residents enjoy.
According to Scott French, fire chief and director of fire services for Manhattan, Dutch Bros is on pace to be completely done with construction by Christmas, with no exact opening date set. French said they have completed a majority of the inspections on site.
Dutch Bros, 7 Brew and 151 Coffee are similar regarding their variety of specialty coffees, drinks, and their convenient drive-thrus. Dutch Bros is a recognized brand with 1,225 locations spread out through 27 states, which creates competition for other coffee shops in the area.
Gabrielle Day, junior in architectural engineering, said there is a current trend in drive-thru coffee shops, especially within the college student demographic.
“It is oversaturated,” Day said. “We already have Scooter’s, 7 Brew, 151, Dunkin’ and Starbucks too.”
On the other hand, Addyson Crum, sophomore in communication sciences and disorders and 151 Coffee barista, said that despite the presence of various drive-thru coffee spots in Manhattan, Dutch Bros’ opening is positive because it provides locals with a new option.
“People don’t always want the same drinks or experience every time they get coffee,” Crum said.
When 7 Brew opened earlier this year, Crum said she was initially worried about 7 Brew taking customers from 151 Coffee, and expects similar competition with Dutch Bros.
“I think it definitely challenges 151, but it also pushes us to be more strategic about how we attract and keep the customers we need to be successful,” Crum said. “I think it will be fun to see a new coffee shop come to Manhattan, especially with so many college students who love trying new places.”
With the addition of Dutch Bros, Manhattan’s growing coffee scene leaves no shortage of options for individuals to purchase handcrafted coffee.
