Scooter’s Coffee in Mascoutah gets an owner. She talks about opening date and more details
As Scooter’s Coffee, LLC, secures more locations for its southern Illinois coffee shops, the Nebraska-based coffee chain continues to seek owners for new franchises.
The location coming to Mascoutah can be crossed off that list because a franchise owner has been found.
An April 22 release announced that Mascoutah resident Laura Hearen signed an agreement to become the owner of the coffee shop, which will be constructed at the former site of Jefferson’s Restaurant.
Hearen, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years before retiring, moved from Germany to the area with her husband in January 2020. Her husband was stationed at Scott AFB off and on over the years, so they moved back to be near his children.
Scooter’s Coffee previously submitted site plans and architectural elevations to the City of Mascoutah – which were approved in November – and then advertised for franchise owners.
Hearen admitted that when she heard that Scooter’s Coffee was coming to Mascoutah, she didn’t know what Scooter’s was.
So she looked it up online and filled out the franchise contact form.
A franchise recruiter called Hearen, a loan was applied for, and soon after, Hearen was the proud new owner of a Scooter’s Coffee shop.
“Once I called, it really wasn’t long at all,” said Hearen. “I went through the process without stopping.”
Once all was said and done, Hearen had a couple of scary “Oh my God” moments but said they came and went.
Project plans include the demolition of the Jefferson’s Restaurant building at 1300 W. Main St. and the construction of the new coffee shop in its place.
Hearen said the initial plans were to start demolition of Jefferson’s on April 25. However, that date was pushed back and is still a “moving target.” The demo will begin Monday, May 2, but only if the property’s gas line is shut off by then.
The work will be done by Effingham-based Grunloh Building, Inc.
The time frame from demolition to completion should be 10 weeks, said Hearen.
If all goes as planned, including hiring and training staff, Hearen said they should be ready to open in August. The target date is Aug. 1.
Hearen “can’t wait for it to open up” and is “looking forward to serving all the veterans in our area.”
Southern Illinois Scooter’s Coffee franchises are already open in Glen Carbon, Highland, Chester and Carbondale. A Greenville location opens soon, and plans are in the works for locations in O’Fallon and Waterloo.
The Waterloo location will also be constructed by Grunloh Building.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held by the City of Waterloo on Friday, April 15. A Facebook post from the event stated, “The ‘real’ groundbreaking should be soon, and they plan to be open by July of this year.”
An earlier release from Scooter’s Coffee stated that the company was “continuing its effort to grow its presence throughout the United States by bringing its world-class drive-thru coffee locations to Freeburg, Belleville, and Fairview Heights.”
A request for a special use permit for a drive-thru restaurant at 5709 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights was on the city’s April 12 Planning Commission agenda and was approved by the commission.
More about area Scooter’s Coffee franchises will be reported as new information becomes available.
Scooter’s Coffee was founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska. The company’s headquarters is in Omaha, Nebraska. There are more than 300 locations in 20 states across the U.S. For more information about Scooter’s Coffee, visit scooterscoffee.com.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
