Dutch Bros in Tempe is second highest
grossing brick-and-mortar in Valley
By Paloma Rutherford | Special to the Digital Free Press
The Dutch Bros. found on the corner of south Rural Road in Tempe is ranked the second highest within the franchise, according to the coffee shop manager.
This particular Dutch Bros. coffee shop is open from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. and sells a variety of drinks, including energy drinks, cold brews, frozen drinks, teas and sodas.
Manager Caleb Andrada said the first-ranked Dutch Bros. is located on 7th Street and East Roma Avenue in Phoenix.
“That’s the one that is more on the busier side as well, but our walk-up window at nighttime is more poppin’ than our drive-through,” Mr. Andrada said.
A customer service representative from Dutch Bros., which is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, confirmed Mr. Adrada’s claims. The representative said that most of the Dutch Bros. shops are company owned; however, “the area around Phoenix is an entire group of franchises that is operated by a single consortium.” That is how they can rank themselves, the representative said.
Mr. Andrada attributes the success of the Tempe-based Dutch Bros. to the location on a college campus.
“You’ll have a lot of students that will walk up with a group of friends, and they’re all getting drinks because they live at Hassy, Manzanita, or even the apartments around us,” Mr. Andrada pointed out, referring to the dormitories at Arizona State University.
This is ideal for many ASU students like Ripley Kenebrew who does not own a car, he says.
“The location is very convenient if I want to catch a ride with a friend, walk, or use rideshare,” Mr. Kennebrew said. “I had never heard of Dutch Bros before moving to Arizona, but after I was introduced, I can’t stop going. It’s a really fun late-night spot for my friends and I to go to.”
A case study of Dutch Bros. along Rural Road
Whereas some Dutch Bros. locations have had traffic flow problems, this is not the case for the Dutch Bros in Tempe. Mr. Andrada said his employees work efficiently enough to where traffic is not a problem.
“That was before we had done our remodeling,” Mr. Andrada said, referring to the reconstruction of the Dutch Bros. parking lot to make it bigger and fit more cars.
The efficient customer service is convenient for car-owning customers like Xandria Montero. She said she prefers staying in her car to receive a drink.
“I like Dutch because it’s a place where you can try all kinds of new beverages by workers who have the best attitudes,” she said.
On a typical day, Mr. Andrada said the shop brings in up to 10k. “And on game days at ASU, it’s more than that,” he added. ASU events, specifically football and basketball games, attract a big social crowd to the walk-up window.
Editor’s note: Ms. Rutherford is a journalism student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
