Bearclaw Coffee Co. ‘brewing Up' Brisk Business

Bob and Gale O'Reilly are pleased to present the Bearclaw Coffee Company gourmet drive-through restaurant concept to Flint area coffee lovers. Their restaurant also offers sitdown dining.

Bearclaw Coffee Company, at the corner of Hill and Torrey roads in Flint, wants to be "your neighborhood coffee shop." On cold winter mornings, a toasty warm, log fireplace and rustic surroundings make this new local eatery an inviting place to visit, watch TV or check one's e-mail using the shop's WiFi connection. If it's a "quick fix" you need, Bearclaw Coffee Company's convenient drive-through window provides easy access to one's favorite refreshments, whether it's a beverage, a biscotti or lunch to go. And of course, there's the coffee. A rich, Columbian, fresh roast coffee is served up in a variety of blends, cappuccinos, mochas and lattes, served with a smile, whether at the window or at the counter. Packaged "Bearclaw Signature Brand" coffees are also available for at-home coffee lovers. If one's taste runs more "cold" than "hot," there are a variety of frozen lattes, Italian sodas and healthy "Dr. Smoothies" on the menu. "Our smoothies are fat-free, 100 percent natural with no preservatives, and vitamin and mineral fortified," say owners Bob and Gale O'Reilly, former Flint area natives who opened the business on Jan. 4. "They're also lactose-free and 100 percent non-dairy, and most importantly, they're delicious." Patrons will enjoy a number of bagel varieties, pastries, biscotti and cookies, plus healthy alternatives like Vita Muffins and Baker's Breakfast Cookies. "Hungry Bears" will love three varieties of Albie's Pasties, soup, sandwiches and a boxed lunch. "Our goal is to provide personal attention to each customer," say the O'Reillys.

Bearclaw Coffee Company has all the "bells and whistles" of a national coffee chain, but a more intimate approach to business, thanks to Bearclaw Coffee Company's founding couple, Doug and Debi Scroggins. They opened their first store in 2002 in Dexter, and have taken a careful, conservative approach to growth and expansion. Five years after the opening of the first Bearclaw Coffee Company, this new restaurant concept has been franchised in its 18th Michigan location, including this new location at 6004 Torrey Road. Even with so many restaurants in the making, the Scroggins are still able to offer a personal touch, visiting each store on a regular basis and passing on their business philosophy of customer service. "Bearclaw Coffee Company has a unique history and it's one of the main reasons we decided to go ahead with this store," say the O'Reillys, who are assisted in this family business by daughter Amanda and son Bob, Jr., both graduates of U of M, Ann Arbor, plus nephew Kyle, a student and golf standout at Carman- Ainsworth High School. Both Doug and Debi Scroggins enjoyed a career spanning 35 years, collectively, at Northwest Airlines and had accepted an early retirement buy-out. In addition, this outgoing, professional couple was looking for a positive change in their lives following the death of their 17- year-old son, Brett, in a car accident in 1999. They setup their first Bearclaw Coffee Company location in a rural, but busy area of Dexter and were inundated by customers who loved the gourmet coffee drive-through concept. That was the beginning of their success story and has become the root of success for other entrepreneurial couples like the O'Reillys. "That's why the Bearclaw Coffee Company story is so unique," said Bob O'Reilly. "The ‘bear' part of the name is in recognition of avid outdoorsman Doug Scroggins' many trips to Alaska, even though he jokes that he's never even seen a bear while hunting there. "The wings on the company logo represent two life-changing events for the Scroggins � the death of their son and their long careers at Northwest, plus the idea of fast and on-the-run service." Bearclaw Coffee Company is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The O'Reillys invite area residents to stop in, and grab a VIP Thank You Card, providing the 12th beverage for free, after 11 prior purchases. For more information, call (810) 655-6850 or visit the corporate Web site at www.bearclawcoffee.com.

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