
Now, Dutch Bros. is a coffee shop, see? A small one, growin’ like a weed. Started out in Oregon, they did, and now they’re spreadin’ eastward like a swarm of locusts. They aim to have more stores than there are preachers in Texas, I reckon. They’re doubling their footprint, they say, and managin’ to do it without sellin’ snake oil. They’ve got a thousand stores now, and they’re aimin’ for two thousand and then some. That’s a lot of coffee, and a lot of folks linin’ up to pay for it. They’re addin’ fancy drinks and mobile orderin’, tryin’ to squeeze every last penny out of the customer. It’s a business, after all, and a shrewd one at that. They’re makin’ a profit, too, which is a novelty these days. They seem to have tapped into somethin’, though I suspect it’s mostly the American fondness for caffeinated beverages and a pleasant atmosphere.