Store re-uses former QSR property as part of Caribou sustainable design build effort
Caribou Coffee®, one of the nation’s leading operators of premium coffeehouses, marks an important step this month in the company’s strategic expansion plans for 2025 and beyond. Following eight new locations in Georgia, the company announces today the first stand-alone coffeehouse and drive thru in the state of Texas. Located at 5955 Rufe Snow Drive, Watauga, Texas, the location is also significant for its purposeful reuse of existing QSR commercial property as part of Caribou’s focus on sustainable and smart building practices.
“Whenever we open a new Caribou Coffee location we think about two important things,” said Emily Heuring, senior director, real estate, design and construction, Caribou Coffee. “Obviously it’s crucial to meet the community interest and need for great coffee and a gathering place, but we also look at how we can minimize impact to the community and the environment during the pre-opening design and build phase. In this case, we focused on smart reuse of an existing QSR commercial property. Doing this gives us the ability to retrofit, optimize and rebrand the coffeehouse without more invasive processes like breaking ground, or all of the steps, materials and resources needed for new construction.”
Sitting at the busy intersection of Rufe Snow Drive and Stardust Drive, Watauga, Texas in a retail corridor of restaurants, grocery stores and medical practices that sees thousands of consumers per day, the store has been redesigned to optimize walk-up and drive thru customer traffic. An outdoor seating patio area was also just added to meet guest demand and provide additional choice. Like all Caribou Coffee locations, the coffeehouse also operates strict processes and practices to limit food waste and reduce both water and energy usage.
“This is an incredibly busy area of Watauga,” said Adam Krook, director of operations, Caribou Coffee. “There are almost 50,000 households within a three mile radius not to mention people commuting to and from work every day. So we have to offer products and use practices that make the experience exceptional for our guests and easy for our people. That means real, premium ingredients and customizations that we can get to guests in less than four minutes, our national average. And the design of efficient work flows around our pickup window to make the whole experience better for our guests and teams.”
Beyond reuse of existing commercial properties to minimize environmental impact, Caribou makes very intentional decisions to support the community and the planet. During grand opening weekends, $1 of every Caribou sale is donated to a local charity in the community. The company also prefabricates coffeehouse components using environmentally-friendly materials and practices before shipping to each location, making assembly faster and less disruptive on site. And wherever possible, supply chains are optimized to reduce waste, fuel usage and inefficiencies.
Caribou Coffee first opened in Texas with a single franchised location at the Dallas Fort Worth airport but the new Watauga location is the first in a series of planned stand-alone stores to meet consumer demand. A second store will open in Grapevine, Texas, in late 2025 with the potential for more in the near future. The move is part of a strategic expansion across the south eastern region of the country for Caribou which started with four locations in North Carolina in 2024 and will see eight locations across the greater Atlanta, Georgia metro area by the end of 2025.
“We’re here to bring a positive impact on our guests in the communities where we serve, not a negative one on the environment,” added Krook. “We’re already getting so much positive feedback from early guests. Texas likes real and authentic experiences, it seems” added Krook. “We’ll raise a cup to that.”
