Sponsored by The Human Bean
It’s a business model where customers come and go (literally, quite quickly), but drive-thru coffee is showing it has the chops to endure.
According to the National Restaurant Association, food establishments in general are serving 16% fewer on-site customers today than pre-Covid. Drive-thrus, however, filled much of that gap with a 13% increase over the same time period.
A recession-proof food business might seem like a tall order in the world’s post-pandemic wake, but drive-thrus, and specifically beverage-focused ones, are able to operate with fewer staff than most QSRs, minimal customer contact, and price points that are affordable to the masses.
“Even when people cut back on vacations and big splurges, the simple joy of a specialty beverage is still in the cards for most,” says The Human Bean’s chief marketing officer, Janie Page. “For our customers, it’s a way to feel treated and doted on for just a few dollars.”
Franchising in general appeals to vigilant entrepreneurs as a safe way to own a business during tumultuous markets. Franchises come with proven operating models and company-wide resources, and according to the International Franchise Association, franchises drive 1.8 times higher sales than their comparable non-franchise counterparts.
So in the franchising world, why coffee? The Human Bean franchisee, Matt Lockhart, in Laramie Wy. says choosing the drive-thru model in the world of franchising was about the numbers and people.
"I literally knew nothing about the coffee business, but saw The Human Bean's success on paper,” says Lockhart. “We [...] reasoned that with their business model, philosophy, and guidance we could realize success that we wouldn't have if we chose to try to do it on our own."
Beverage-based business opportunities like The Human Bean are earning top rankings by business publications, too. In 2022, the Oregon-based company earned accolades on Entrepreneur’s Top Food Franchise list, and in 2023 ranked among the top 100 businesses in the annual Franchise 500. Franchise Business Review named the coffee company a Top Franchise, Top Food Franchise, and Top Recession-Proof Franchise in 2022.
“Our coffee drive-thrus are simple and scalable, and we’ve weathered all storms for the past 25 years,” says Scott Anderson, the company’s Chief Operating Officer. “It’s about giving our franchise partners peace of mind and giving them tools to grow in any economy.”
With four in 10 restaurant operators believing that drive-thru lanes will "become more common in 2023" according to the National Restaurant Association, experienced coffee franchises like The Human Bean have an edge with single and double sided ready-made site designs, quick-to-make products with an authentic experience.
The Human Bean franchise CEO, Dan Hawkins, also says constant innovation and treating customers and business partners like real “human beans” is the reason why the coffee company has experienced steady growth since opening in 1998.
“Our brand is one big family,” says Hawkins. “Everyone looks out for each other and works hard to make this brand the very best. It is a lot of work, but also so much fun growing together with our franchise partners.”
By blending award-winning coffee products with no royalty fees, The Human Bean has given its franchise partners easy reasons to say yes to coffee.
Lockhart, who won Franchise Business Review’s 2022 Freshman Rock Star Award, opened his first location one month before the pandemic shut down most other food service establishments in 2020.
“There was a lot of concern about how we could survive once we opened,” he says. “What we found is when people come to us, it’s because they want that personal interaction at the window, they want to treat themselves.”
It’s a concept that’s remained true for the coffee company over the last two decades, and is exemplified at hundreds of The Human Bean locations across the country.
Learn more about The Human Bean franchise at franchise.thehumanbean.com.
