Drive Thru Espresso Bars With Coffee Carhops Brewing

Specialty java sippers could start getting their jolts on the go this summer.

Caffino Inc. plans to open 33 drive-thru espresso coffee bars in Houston over the next two years.

Bob Taft, CEO of the San Ramon, Calif.-based company, says he expects to open a cluster of four stores at a time.

The first cluster is already perking and scheduled to open in July in northwest Houston.

Don't expect to drive up and talk into a box at a Caffino location. A greeter comes outside to take orders, and customers are guaranteed to get their coffee within 60 seconds.

The average ticket at Caffino is $4 and about 60 percent of the menu features chocolate drinks.

Taft says he chose Houston for the first expansion off the company's "home court" because he was impressed with the sales and profits that the area brought in while he was chief operating officer of Fuddrucker's.

He sees Houston as a launching pad for the Texas market, and plans on seeping into Dallas, San Antonio and Austin after getting on solid grounds in the local area.

Taft says Caffino employees pride themselves on recognizing steady customers and having their usual drinks ready.

" We think of ourselves as a bar, and our employees connect with customers much like people connect with a good bartender -- except you're sober with us," says Taft.

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