Not your mom’s Starbucks coffee: Dutch Bros expands into San Diego, attracts Gen Z with its trendy drinks
Annihilator. Double Torture. Golden Eagle.
Those aren’t the names of professional wrestlers. Those are classic drinks on the menu at Dutch Bros Coffee, a beverage brand with a cult-like following that recently expanded into San Diego.
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The Oregon-based company placed its flag in San Diego late last year with locations in Oceanside and Escondido.
It’s not a spot for coffee purists seeking roasted beans served straight. And it may seem like just another chain serving sweet variations of coffee, colorful tea and punchy energy drinks at a drive-thru. But fans of the brand — who tend to be teenagers and young women — have welcomed the stores with ravenous excitement.
“Our foray into San Diego has blown away every expectation we could have by a huge multiple,” said Aaron Harris, the Dutch Bros executive leading the expansion into San Diego.
Oceanside is the No. 1 performing store out of Dutch Bros’ 835 locations across 11 states, Harris said. Dutch Bros declined to share sales figures for the Oceanside store, but Harris said they’re dealing with the “good problems” of long lines and overwhelming demand from customers.
The Picture Perfect Freeze is a blended coffee with caramel and chocolate sauce drizzle at Dutch Bros Coffee in Oceanside.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Since the stores are centered around a drive-thru and walk-up window — no indoors or seating areas — Harris joked that the ideal Dutch Bros customer is a teenage “girl with an Instagram account on the day she gets her driver’s license coming to the store.” He explained that in addition to a younger, digitally native customer-base, Dutch Bros is a dog-friendly shop that offers a treat for pups.
In general, Dutch Bros does well in markets with lots of sunshine, like San Diego, because roughly 70 percent of their drinks are served with ice, Harris said. He also credits the Oceanside shop’s success to its proximity to the freeway and to Camp Pendleton.
There are two more stores set to open in the first half of next year in Vista and Escondido. Harris said a Chula Vista location is also in the works, with his goal to open a couple of more by 2025.
It’s not about placing a Dutch Bros drive-thru on every corner, he said, but finding neighborhoods where it can be part of the community. For example, a sign at the Oceanside store said $1 from every drink sold on Dec. 8 was donated to NAMI San Diego, a local advocacy group for mental illness.
Dutch Bros doesn’t franchise its newest stores, and instead appoints employees who have been with the company for a minimum number of years to run them. Sidney Krall,who operates the Oceanside location, has been with Dutch Bros for 13 years.
Krall said in an email that her store’s peak hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., but it gets even busier on the weekends. The demand is exciting, she said, with the drive-thru often having a line of about 40 cars and around 20 people at the walk-up window on Saturdays.
She said the store already has a number of regulars and some of the most popular drinks are the Cocomo, Golden Eagle and a seasonal holiday beverage called the Hazelnut Truffle Mocha.
The OG Gummy Bear Dutch Soda at Dutch Bros Coffee in Oceanside. The sugary drinks are popular with Gen Z.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Classic coffee house staples like mochas are dressed up with a whipped cream hat and chocolate drizzle. There are sweet Dutch Frost cotton candy and snickerdoodle shakes. Then there are teas like the Double Rainbro — flavored with strawberry, peach and coconut syrups — and Dutch Bros Rebel energy drinks, with names like Shark Attack and Aftershock that are neon hues of various flavored syrups in a cup.
Drinks come in three standard sizes (as well as kids cups) and prices vary for different types of beverages, such as hot, iced or blended. For example, an iced vanilla chai ranges from about $5 to $8.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, the Oceanside shop had a steady flow of customers at the two-lane drive-thru and the walk-up window. And it was noticeably busier than the drive-thru line at the Starbucks across the street.
June Cabral was really excited when the Oceanside location opened because her family used to frequent Dutch Bros in Northern California. Now that her husband is stationed at Camp Pendleton, she said they come by at least once a week for a Dutch Bros treat.
“They’re fast — that’s our main thing is to get in and get out — they’re friendly and they’re super helpful,” Cabral said.
Cabral likes the coffee drinks while her 13-year-old son Evan likes to experiment with the different iced coffees flavored with caramel and chocolate. Aside from the fun flavors, Cabral noticed that Dutch Bros has become a gathering place for its young fans.
“It’s like their little hangout spot,” Cabral said. “I guess when we were growing up … Starbucks was in and now I guess Dutch Bros is like their new Starbucks for them.”