County of site: Franklin County
Location of site: Jefferson St. & E. 14th St., Washington
"Exit 11, Washington, opened its first location almost three years ago which included a 10-office coworking center, meeting center and coffeehouse.
"The owners, Angela and Scott Garland, said their unique coffee blends and proprietary recipes have helped the company grow year-after-year.
"As customers asked for more, they expanded the menu to offer more drinks and custom organic food offerings.
"The shop offers homegrown food, including breakfast burritos, made with local nitrate-free sausage and farm-fresh eggs, scratch-made quiche, gluten-free vegan muffins, cinnamon rolls, muffins, oatmeal and other items.
New Opportunity
"In June of this year, the Garlands began looking for an opportunity to grow their business in a new way while appealing to a diversified client base. They decided a drive-thru location is something the community needed.
'“Our current location has limited parking, and with 11,000 cars traveling along Jefferson each day, we knew there was a real desire for a drive-thru option,” said Angela Garland, co-founder and president.
'“We’re proud to offer the same quality food and drinks that customers have come to love at the new drive-thru location,” she said. “We care a great deal about the quality of the ingredients in our food items and our coffee drinks. We make our own organic syrups and our cold brew takes 24 hours to process.”
"Scott Garland, co-founder and chief of everything food and drink, said the company cares about everything from the grind of the beans, the temperature it is brewed, the time it takes to pull a shot and the type of espresso bean.
'“It all matters and we take it seriously,” he said. “Anyone can serve a cup of coffee or espresso, we believe in providing the best and creating an experience for the customer.”
"Located at 1403 Jefferson, the new location is drive-thru only. It’s also a block away from Exit 11’s first location at 1351 Jefferson St.
"Now, customers have two options for the growing third-wave coffeehouse in Franklin County, the Garlands said.
"The trailer is a short-term solution to test out the two-sided drive up model, they said. It if works, the owners will build a permanent structure, still drive-thru only, and then take the trailer on the road to the next location.
Future Plans
"The Garlands plan to open five drive-thru locations in the St. Louis metro area in the next 18-24 months. They are also looking to franchise.
'“This is a business model that we’ve put our heart and souls into — it’s ready and adaptable to those looking to start their own franchise,” said Angela Garland.
"The drive-thru trailer offers service on both sides to accommodate two cars at a time. Customers place and receive their orders at the same window, usually in is less than two minutes from start to finish.
"The drive-thru quietly opened May 31 and has already completed over 2,000 transactions.
"Because of the July 4 holiday, Exit 11’s grand opening week will be held the week of July 9. People can follow the company’s Instagram and Facebook pages @exit11drivethru for information on specials for that week only.
'“What is so exciting is that 90 percent of our drive-thru customers are new to Exit 11, and our existing customers are seeing us more as they head to St. Louis for work or have a carload of kids,” said Angela Garland. “We started as a coworking and meeting center, added the coffeehouse and now we are in the drive-thru coffee business. We are responding to what the market wants.”
"Exit 11 Workspace & Coffee House now wears four hats — furnished office space and coworking memberships to small businesses and field reps; meeting space and catering to local organizations and large firms; a coffeehouse within the space that is open to the public; and now a drive-thru coffee trailer geared for the grab-n-go customers.
"For information, people may contact Angela Garland at 636-429-01111 or angela@exit-11.com." ~ The Missourian, Washington, July 6, 2018