Caffeine To Go

Seattle's Best Coffee to launch drive-thru kiosk concept in Dallas-Fort Worth

Rendering of a Seattle's Best Coffee drive-thru.

Photo courtesy of Seattle's Best Coffee
We'll soon see this logo at 15 stores around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Photo courtesy of Seattle's Best Coffee

Seattle's Best Coffee is getting ready to java up Dallas-Fort Worth. The coffee company, which is owned by Starbucks, will open 15 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2013. Ten are set to open in May, spread across Dallas and Tarrant counties.

These locations, listed below, will be drive-thru only. They represent a brand-new concept for Seattle's Best, and DFW is the first market in which drive-thru stores are being rolled out.

"Texas has long been a part of our expansion plan," said Frank Sica, vice president for Seattle's Best. "We launched the new drive-thru concept in Seattle, and now Dallas-Fort Worth is the first target market for the new concept."

Starbucks decided on DFW because of surveys showing the area as one of the fastest growing, most populous markets in the country, with more people eating out compared to the national average.

The first wave of 10 kiosks in Dallas-Fort Worth are all located in front of Walmart stores:

Tarrant & Beach – N. Beach St., Fort Worth
McCart – McCart Ave., Fort Worth
Burleson – SW Wilshire Blvd., Burleson
Marsh & Frankford – Marsh Lane, Dallas
Love Field – Mockingbird Lane, Dallas
Timbercreek Crossing – Retail Rd., Dallas
Wheatland – Wheatland Rd., Dallas
Lancaster – N. Interstate 35, Lancaster
Rockwall – E. Interstate 30, Rockwall
McKinney – W, University Drive, McKinney

A staffer said that some of the stores had shells already built, and that the kiosks would be dropped down into the space.

In addition to coffee, the drive-thrus will serve a new menu of "dashboard-friendly" food items, including egg sandwiches, pretzel melts, and sweet and savory handheld pies. Seattle's Best also dabbles in schlockier, dessert-inspired coffee drinks, such as birthday cake lattes and caramel candy lattes.

Seattle's Best Coffee began as a coffee roaster in 1970; it roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year. The chain was acquired by Starbucks in 2003. It once had more than 500 outlets, but most were located inside Borders bookstores, which shut down in 2011.

Starbucks subsequently decided to expand Seattle's Best as a drive-thru brand. The company began testing the drive-thru model in Chicago in March 2012 and opened the first drive-thru store in Seattle in November 2012. And now they'll be here. First!

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Putting into Plano

New Plano restaurant Sip'Stroke tees up golf with chef-driven fare

Saffron salmon skewers, one of the featured seafood offerings on Chef Madan Oli’s menu at Sip’Stroke.

Photo courtesy of Sip'Stroke.

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It's tee time for a new restaurant featuring a private Full Swing golf simulator and an indoor putt-putt course in Plano: Called Sip’Stroke, the new "eatertainment" spot is opening Saturday, August 1 at 5969 Dallas Pkwy.

The concept comes from Kushal Raj Bastakoti, a cityscape artist and interior designer from Nepal who moved to Dallas in 2013 to attend the University of North Texas. Bastakoti also owns Skyline Lounge in downtown Dallas, which opened earlier this year, and is a franchisee of the Asian beverage and dessert chain Feng Cha Café.

He says he chose the location due to the rapid growth of businesses and residences in the nearby Legacy area.

“At Sip’Stroke we created a space that is entirely unique — it feels like you're on a 9-hole golf course, but paired with exceptional dining,” he says.

Although built around golf, the restaurant is also chef-driven. Bastakoti recruited chef Madan Oli, who launched his culinary career in Copenhagen, where he developed a focus on high-quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and presentation.

“My goal is to bring people together through modern American cuisine with bold flavors and global inspiration,” says Oli. “Every dish is crafted with care, balance, and a true passion for hospitality.”

$Sip\u2019Stroke$ At Sip’Stroke, you can catch the game, play a round of putt-putt, and enjoy a high-end meal.Photo courtesy of Sip'Stroke.

Oli designed a menu featuring shared boards, fresh seafood, premium steaks, elevated bar staples, and desserts. Highlights include prime ribeye frites, saffron salmon, maple leaf duck breast, Cabernet-braised short ribs, Wagyu sliders, and a selection of tacos and wings, with prices ranging from $20 to $35.

The full bar serves classic and signature cocktails, along with shots, wine, beer, and zero-proof drinks.

The venue includes a private golf simulator that accommodates up to eight guests, a custom nine-hole mini-golf course integrated into the dining room, seating for 60 indoors, and an additional 15 seats on the patio.

While Sip’Stroke has been operating with limited hours during a soft opening over the past several days, regular business hours begin Saturday, August 1, from 12 noon to 12 midnight daily. A grand opening celebration is planned for late August.

A second Sip’Stroke location is also in the works next to Skyline Lounge at 2012 Commerce St. in downtown Dallas and is expected to open before the end of the year. The owners say restoring the historic 100-year-old building has taken longer than anticipated.

eatertainment golf plano