Yes! Dutch Bros. Coffee is Coming to North Temple
Last week, I asked the good people of Temple what they'd like to see replace the old Long John Silver's at 201 North General Bruce Drive.
At the time, I wasn't sure if the building would be demolished, repurposed, or reopened as a new and improved Long John's.
Well, I got my answer when I drove by a couple of days later and the place was flattened.
Today, I stopped by on my lunch break to get some photos and I asked one of the workers at the site if he knew what was going to be built on the site.
I perked right up when he confirmed one of my theories: Dutch Bros. Coffee will be opening a shop at the location.
Woo-hoo!
UPDATE: The location map on the Dutch Bros. website shows they plan to open a second Temple location at 6520 West Adams Ave near the W. Adams Walmart.
The guy I spoke to said there are plans to open 15 Dutch Bros. shops across Texas, including one in Waco.
A Killeen location opened up earlier this year, and so far the reviews have been stellar.
Now, before you think I'm just taking some rando's word for it, the City of Temple actually confirmed the new coffee shop Thursday morning.
Personally, I'm thrilled about this announcement.
Would I rather see a locally owned establishment open? Sure. I'll always support places owned by local families as frequently as I can.
Still, it's not like there's a Dutch Bros. on every corner in Texas, so this is at least something new. Plus Dutch Bros. has a great reputation.
In fact, our very own Aaron Zytle used to hit up Dutch Bros. all the time when he lived in Colorado, and said while he prefers a hot vanilla latte, there's something for everyone on the menu, including plenty of cold treats like iced coffee, smoothies, and freezes.
To give you an idea of how popular the place was in AZ's neck of the woods, he told me, "They were always right across from Starbucks. So, Starbucks would have a line, but Dutch Bros. would have an even BIGGER line. It was weird over there. But they're really good."
The Starbucks on N. Gen. Bruce has been closed for a while now too, so Dutch Bros. won't have to worry about competition there. Plus they'll be right by Temple High School, so they'll have plenty of businesses from students, staff, and parents in the area.
They'll be right across the highway from our studio, so I'll definitely be hitting them up as well.
Dutch Bros. Coffee locations are typically built as drive-thrus with two lanes, similar to the setup at the old Chick-Fil-A on S. 31st in Temple.
Check out the Dutch Bros. website for a look at their menu, then watch the video below for hints about their secret menu.
Are you excited about Dutch Bros. Coffee coming to Temple? Have you tried any other locations? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.