In his 17 years working in supply chain management, Adam Driscoll spent a good amount of time directing products to quick-service restaurant brands in North America, with many of them franchised.
That marked his first exposure to franchising, and piqued his interest. Over the next few years, Driscoll began looking at opportunities and was set on the foodservice space. Scooter’s Coffee ultimately stood out, and he signed a five-unit agreement to open stores in the Minneapolis suburbs of Plymouth and Eagan
“There was no shortage of competition in this space these days, but as we continued our analysis, there were many that just did not meet the criteria we were looking for,” Driscoll said. “Scooter’s Coffee was a new brand to us when we started this process, but they rose to the top of the pile when considering all of our important criteria.”
Adam Driscoll is a new Scooter’s Coffee franchisee in Minnesota.
Founded in 1998, Scooter’s Coffee is a Nebraska-based brand with more than 800 smaller-sized drive-thru locations. On average, a Scooter’s Coffee unit is 664 square feet.
Driscoll said Scooter’s stands out with its efficient operating model, smaller units and commitment to drive-thru traffic.
“The intentionally limited menu of items, vertically integrated coffee supply and their self-distributed model for their supply chain—all of these aspects are competitive advantages that made us feel good about becoming a franchisee,” Driscoll said. “With more than 800 stores open, they are also in the sweet spot of being big enough to have proven that their model works, but not so big that there was already one on every street corner.”
Scooter’s has seven locations in and around the Minneapolis metro, and Chief Growth Officer Tim Arpin said there are dozens of additional locations in the pipeline for the market.
“This deal represents another big step in our expansion into the Twin Cities marketplace,” Arpin said. “We have been very pleased with the reception that we have received from Minnesotans.”
The deal with Driscoll was one of several recently announced for markets in the Midwest and Southeast, with agreements for units in Alabama, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Over the summer, the brand also inked multi-unit deals for growth in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
“We pride ourselves on being a franchise organization that is designed for everyone,” Arpin said. “Even without prior development experience, we can coach and guide a prospective franchisee on the path to owning their own Scooter’s Coffee.”
Tim Arpin is the chief growth officer at Scooter’s Coffee.
Arpin added it’s the intangibles within a potential owner that gives the brand confidence to move forward with new franchise deals, and it’s something that Driscoll showed.
“Adam has the three things that are most important to us in a franchisee,” Arpin said. “First, he has a deep sense of care for people and is a leader. Second, he is humble, willing to learn and follow a system. And finally, he has grit, which is needed if one is to own their own business.”
Driscoll said he intends to have the first unit open in the first half of 2025 and the second in operation by the end of next year. By the end of 2026, the goal is to have all five open, and Driscoll said he’s interested in developing more in his two territories in the future.
The initial investment to open a Scooter’s Coffee is between $894,500 and $1.39 million.