April 25, 2024

Construction begins for Scooter’s Coffee kiosk

Kiosk to offer caffeinated creations for drivers on the go

By Christopher Braunschweig

A construction worker Wednesday afternoon climbs a ladder to reach the roof of a building that will become a Scooter's Coffee kiosk when finished. The coffeeshop is located in the parking lot northeast of the First Avenue East and East 12th Street North intersection in Newton. (Christopher Braunschweig)

Caffeine-craved citizens in need of a quick, morning coffee drink while en route to work along First Avenue East won’t even have to step out of their car to buy their lattes or cappuccinos.

Construction of a drive-thru Scooter’s Coffee kiosk has begun in the parking lot northeast of the First Avenue East and East 12th Street North intersection in Newton, located due south of the El Sombrero and China King storefronts.

Tom Bedard, general manager of Huff Contracting, said crews are already working fast to finish the building by summer. His crew, he added, had constructed four other Scooter’s Coffee kiosks across the Midwest since the beginning of the year.

Electrical and plumbing work are planned to start Thursday and Friday. Bedard anticipated the interior construction will start sometime late next week, as long as the weather holds up.

Erin Chambers, director of community development for the City of Newton, said the Nebraska-rooted coffeehouse chain applied for a variance of the zoning ordinance in 2018 to be able to build the kiosk.

As part of the site plan review process, Chambers said the city looked at the site access and circulation and how the flow of traffic will work in regards to the intersection. The site has two areas in which vehicles can enter and exit the area: one on First Avenue East and the other on East 12th Street South.

“The site has a couple different driveways, so the site circulation is designed so that as cars leave the facility with their cup of coffee they will exit the property onto East 12th Street (South) and then be able to get on First Avenue at that stoplight,” Chambers said.

Scooter’s Coffee in Newton will not offer interior seating for guests, although the company does have models which provide such amenities.

According to the company’s website, the closest Scooter’s Coffee within 25 miles of Newton is in Pleasant Hill. About 216 stores are currently open all across the United States, with more than 200 franchisee commitments to build new stores in the coming years.

Scooter’s Coffee was founded by Don and Linda Eckles in 1998. The first store opened in Bellevue, Neb., and is still open to this day. In 2001, the two founders began franchising the drive-thru coffeeshop.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com