Drive-thru café eyes second location

Maricopa residents craving a caffeine fix away from the John Wayne strip are in luck.

Dutch Bros Coffee threw its hat in the ring for a second location in town, according to paperwork submitted to the city last month. The proposal would sit between Jiffy Lube and an unnamed building on the northeast corner of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and Stonegate Road.

Paperwork detailed plans for a 950-square-foot building with dual drive-thru lanes that can accommodate as many as 22 vehicles during peak hours. The building will also have a service window for walk-up customers and small patio with outdoor seating.

The location was previously reserved for Chili’s Bar and Grill, which backed out of construction plans in December. A proposed site plan for Dutch Bros showed a second restaurant measuring more than 5,000 square feet immediately west of the coffee house.

City officials have not confirmed when the Planning and Zoning Commission will review the paperwork.

Dutch Bros has more than 600 locations in 11 states, including 80 in Arizona. The Oregon-based speedy coffee joint first came to town in 2019 when it opened a store on John Wayne Parkway and Hathaway Avenue.