The owner of the Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop at 1611 Platte Street opened the bike-thru, called Happy Coffee, three weeks ago as a place where early-morning cyclists can get not just a shot of caffeine, but a tube, a tire, a patch kit or other parts and pieces they need.
"I'd consider selling a whole bike through the window, but they wouldn't be able to try it before they buy it," Taylor says.
Most bike shops don't open until 9 or 10 a.m., so the bike-thru, with hours of 7 to 10 a.m., is actually a way to get cyclists who need a part or piece on the road earlier and more often, Taylor explains. The coffee is just icing on the cake.
"We've had people who come up to the store, and all they needed was a pumper to get going, but we couldn't let them in until we opened," Taylor explains. "This is a tip of the hat to them. Now they can grab their tube and their tire and get going by 8 a.m."
Once the store opens at 10 a.m., the drive-thru window closes, although cyclists can still get coffee at the counter inside. Taylor has been changing roasters each week in order to try new things.
So far, Sundays have been the busiest days, with cyclists pulling up for a quick espresso and then heading off. Taylor says you can get a regular coffee to go though if you have a drink holder attachment, which is something he's working on providing.
You can text in your order, but Happy Coffee only gives out the phone number to customers who first fill out a form agreeing to some basic ground rules (see below).
And, each day, Taylor offers incentives for cyclists. For instance, on one day, the first person to talk like a pirate got a free espresso. On another, the first person who ordered a wheelset through the window got ten percent off and a free coffee drink.
If Happy Coffee is a wild success - "and it looks like it will be," Taylor says - he may open more Happy Coffee kiosks around town offering parts and coffee, but without the full-service store. Portland has similar shops drive-thru coffee shops, but they don't offer much more than repair kits, Taylor says. "So, now we've got one up on them."
Text agreement:
I, ___________________________________ , agree to: Give at least 5 minutes notice on drink orders______ (initials) Order at least 10 minutes before the window closes______ (initials) To have money on my account that will cover my order _______ (initials) To be courteous ________(initials) To brag to people about how cool Happy Coffee COʼs Bike Thru Window is ______ (initials) Not shared the Happy Coffee CO order line with others. ______ (initials) On this day, ________(day) of ____________, of 20____.
