When
wanted to deliver 10 new drive-thru stores in
modular construction.
“With this new concept,
tasting coffee to Dallas-Fort Worth with ground-breaking speed and efficiency.
Opening 10 stores in one day in the same market allowed us to make a great
impact in the
Worth
for
Best Coffee.
Manufactured by the Texas-based Palomar Modular Buildings,
the stores are 500 square feet each, roughly the size of a one-bedroom
apartment. They feature drive-thru and walk-up windows, catering to the
fast-paced lifestyle of customers who may not take the time to sit in a café.
Best, a subsidiary of Starbucks, began working on the concept in the spring of
2012. Once the design was engineered and the manufacturer chosen, the
stores took about 40 days to complete, including fabrication, shipping and
installation. Installs began in late March 2013 and finished in early May,
allowing for training time before opening day on May 20, Metzelaar said.
He attributes the efficiency of the process to the decision
to go with modular. “Modular was chosen for speed of production, cost in
leveraging multiple units of the same specification, the ability to have units
built and held as inventory for when the sites were ready, and consistency of
quality control due to the factory production techniques,” Metzelaar said.
An added bonus was minimal construction waste since the
stores were built under controlled factory conditions, which contributed to a
more sustainable building process, he said.
Now that
Best has incorporated modular construction into their business plan with solid
success, they see it as an option for future franchises. “Because of
the scalability of modular building, we will continue to consider it one of our
viable options for future projects,” Metzelaar said.
To learn more about the project, please visit the Palomar website.
From MBI
