Despite all the changes in the past year, the product has remained the same. Scooter’s sells 30 different blends, encouraging those who want to buy in bulk to buy whole beans and a grinder. “As soon as coffee goes through the grinding process, it starts to lose part of its flavor profile,” Townsend says. “Our coffee is the freshest it can be. We roast our coffee weekly and get it out to our franchisees.”

And he claims the customer service is as exceptional as the coffee. “We teach our baristas to get to know the customers. Instead of saying, ‘Who’s got the large vanilla latte,’ it’s ‘Bill, your drink is ready.’ When we see regular customers drive up, we’ll get their drink started before they get inside.”

The majority of sales are in espresso and specialty drinks. The Caramelicious (caramel latte with caramel sauce, caramel whipped cream, and drizzled caramel) ranks first. Scooter’s also sells a variety of smoothies and espresso blended drinks. Baked pastries and desserts are offered for convenience, but the focus remains on the coffee. “We’d put our drinks in a taste test with anybody,” Townsend says.

So, what are their thoughts about that star player with more than 11,000 stores? “They’ve done a lot for the industry. We don’t see them as a competitor really. They have the Number 1 spot, and that’s the way it is,” Townsend says. “We won’t try to go in and put a store on the opposite street corner, although they’ve done that to us in Omaha. Still we’ve won the “Best of Omaha” coffee award for five years running now.”