Popular coffee shop applies for full liquor license

Honeycutt Coffee may soon be serving beer and wine along with the caramel macchiatos and chai teas that customers order now.

The shop, at 44400 Honeycutt Road, has applied for a Series 12 (Restaurant) liquor license that will be considered by City Council at its Sept. 15 meeting.

If approved, the full license would allow owner Tanya Powers to sell everything from beer to whiskey. But the plan for now, she said Friday, is to start by offering bottled beer, wine and a few signature alcoholic drinks.

Powers said other big changes are afoot once the license is secured, though she wasn’t quite ready to tip her hand about those plans.

She did say a bigger menu, expanded weekend hours and live music were on the way. Recently, a corner of the shop was turned into a boutique featuring craft items.

“I hope it goes well,” she said. “We’re just trying to stay alive.”

A Series 12 license allows for the sale of beer, wine and spirits in a location that sells at least 40% food. Licensees are audited regularly to ensure they meet restaurant standards; if they do not pass an audit, the license can be revoked. The license does not permit carryout purchases of alcohol.

Owner for just over a year, Powers has faced some major challenges over that period as a business owner. She bought Honeycutt the shop while Honeycutt the street was a dead-end during construction of the SR-347 overpass, which opened in July 2019.

Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, leading to a stay at home order by the governor that started March 31.

Running a business during the public health crisis has been a rollercoaster, Powers said, with periods when people are comfortable venturing out to buy a chai latte and other times when they tend to stay at home with their Keurig.

“You’re just gutting it out with everybody else,” she said. “I’m pulling all the strings I can pull.”

But she said she is grateful for the support shown by Maricopans at this difficult time.

“I’ve felt the love from the community,” she said.