Dutch Bros Coffee just opened new SLO County location. Get a look inside
A popular drive-through coffee chain has opened up shop in Atascadero, adding a third location to San Luis Obispo County.
The new location of Dutch Bros Coffee opened on Monday at 8306 El Camino Real in Atascadero, in the same shopping center as Food 4 Less.
It will share space with a new Jersey Mike’s sandwich shop in the building that was previously home to Burger King.
Originating in Oregon in 1992, the now nation-wide coffee chain is known for its customer experience, with their “broistas” always serving up a smile with your order.
Molly Jeffers, 32, the regional operator of the Atascadero location, described the experience of going to Dutch Bros as similar to “coming to your favorite local coffee shop, but you get to stay in your car,” and “you get to have genuine conversations with people that work here.”
“It’s a fun, energetic environment,” Jeffers told The Tribune. “We’re always dancing, listening to loud music. We like to make real connections with our customers.”
Dutch Bros employees have made local and national headlines multiple times for random acts of kindness, including when three employees in Vancouver, Washington, paused work to pray with a grieving customer and when thousands of employees banded together to help to pay for a co-workers college education in Sacramento.
Jeffers said she wants the Atascadero location to maintain that same culture of kindness and community.
“We’re here as a staple for you,” Jeffers said. “If you need somebody to talk to, if you just need a constant in your life, we’re here for you.”
SLO County is host to two other Dutch Bros locations in Arroyo Grande and Nipomo. It also has two stores in Santa Maria.
What’s on the menu at Dutch Bros?
Customers at the new store in Atascadero will be able to pick up their coffee to-go from the drive-through or buy from the walk-up window, sit and enjoy their drink at the outside table seating.
Whether you’re looking for a hot or cold drink, there are plenty of seasonal menu items to satisfy your coffee cravings, Jeffers said.
On colder winter days, popular drinks include hot mochas or a Golden Eagle — a caramel vanilla breve with a caramel drizzle on top — and as soon as the sun comes out, Dutch Bros signature iced or blended Rebel Energy Drink is a fan-favorite. They also serve other non-caffeinated drinks like lemonades, sodas, milkshakes and smoothies.
The store offered $3 medium drinks for its grand opening on Monday, but other ongoing deals are available through the Dutch Bros app. Customers can earn bonus points towards a free drink, access special menu items and get a new sticker every month with the in-store purchase of a drink, Jeffers said.
The new Atascadero store opens every day at 5 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We have a saying here: ‘Get up early, stay up late, change the world,’” Jeffers said.
Jeffers said most of the 38 employees on rotation each week at the Atascadero location are locals, including herself.
“I’m in this community. I’m excited to be here,” Jeffers said. “We just hope that people come and try it out and, hopefully, we get to make lifelong friends here.”
Jersey Mike’s will open up next to Dutch Bros completing the split store by early spring, a Jersey Mike’s spokesperson told The Tribune.
