Coffee News

No Demo Reno duo Mike & Jenn Todryk open coffeeshop in Wylie

Armor Coffee

A coffee shop with buzz has debuted in Wylie: Armor Coffee, a shop from Mike and Jenn Todryk, has opened a location at 3040 FM 544, where it's serving coffee as well as breakfast and lunch.

Jenn Todryk is the HGTV star known for her hit show No Demo Reno, wherein she devises cost-saving ways to transform homes with a goal of keeping the original floorplan.

She's the founder of a highly relatable blog called "Life as a Rambling Redhead" where she shares behind-the-scenes moments of filming, home projects, and motherhood, which has earned her more than 1.8 million followers on Instagram.

This new coffee shop is a second location for the couple, who opened the first Armor Coffee in Allen in 2019, taking over a space in the Village at Allen at 190 E. Stacy Rd. that was previously Village Coffee — rebranded as Armor, inspired by Mike's time as an armor officer in the military.

Jenn and Mike Todryk at their first Armor Coffee.Armor Coffee

They followed that with the launch of Armor Brewing Co., a craft beer brewery, also in Allen at 9 Prestige Cir., just beneath the city of Allen water tower, taking over the former Nine Band Brewing in 2023.

The Wylie shop, located in a booming new center at the intersection of 544 and McReary Road, has been designed as more than an ordinary coffee shop and is instead a community space, outfitted with a conference room for local meetings, interviews, Bible studies, and more. It's a pretty space dressed up with elegant use of stone including a marbled black counter and artisan glass tile in a deep glossy green.

It's also a cafe with a menu that includes coffee and espresso drinks, cold coffee, frozen coffee drinks, and teas. They roast their own beans.

There's also a plentiful selection of food including breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos, toasts, Belgian liege waffles, sandwiches such as grilled cheese and vegetarian Caprese, pretzels, and baked goods.

In a statement, Mike welcomed the residents of Wylie, Murphy, and Parker, saying that he was "beyond proud of this team, so much hard work is going into this one, and [were] excited for the Armor future."

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In A Pickle

Dallas-based Smoothie King chain debuts puckery new pickle smoothie

Smoothie King

Pickle flavored smoothie from Smoothie King.

The ever upwardly trending pickle flavor is surfacing in the unlikeliest of places: Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, is releasing a new limited-edition Pickle Smoothie — for those who love pickles so much they could drink them.

Smoothie King is partnering with Grillo's Pickles, a Boston-based pickle company, on a beverage that combines Grillo’s Pickles with bananas, kale, and coconut water for what they describe as a refreshingly tangy drink infused with electrolytes designed to support hydration.

The drink is $5.99 for a 20-ounce serving, and will be available through the summer. They'll be giving out free 4-ounce samples on May 16, while supplies last. A Today writer who ran out and tried it found that the banana and pickles both had an equally strong presence, and that it was "not bad." That's some reporting.

Grillo's Pickles was founded in 2008 by Travis Grillo, who launched the business as a small wooden pushcart in Boston Common, using his family's 100-year-old recipe. It has since grown into a nationwide brand, with their bottles topped with kelly-green lids sold in the refrigerator section of major grocery chains such as Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi.

Smoothie King is based in Dallas and is owned by Wan Kim, who opened the first Smoothie King franchise in Korea before eventually acquiring the national chain. He's also a major presence in Dallas' restaurant scene, opening the acclaimed Asian-themed Nuri Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas in 2024, and more recently debuting a chicken tenders concept on Dallas' Greenville Avenue called Flock & Fresh on May 2.

Pickles have emerged in recent years as one of the buzziest flavors, including Fort Worth's own craft beer brewer Martin House Brewing Co., a pickle pioneer that has released a number of pickle-flavored beers. H-E-B just joined the pickle party with a new Pickle Chamoy Sherbet, and national boutique grocery chain Trader Joe's is about to reprise its annual Pickle Season onslaught of pickle-flavored products such as Dill Pickle Mustard and Pickle-Flavored Potato Chips.

Beyond their flavor, pickles are a fermented item which can offer nutritional/probiotic benefits, although Smoothie King VP of R&D and Product Marketing Lori Primavera focuses primarily on the hydration aspect.

"At Smoothie King, every recipe starts with delicious nutrition in mind," Primavera says in a statement. "Pickles are not only delicious and having a cultural moment, they also offer real nutritional benefits, especially known for their enhanced hydration. That combination gave us an opportunity to explore them in a new format and push our innovation into new territory, reimagining how a beloved flavor can deliver both function and taste."

Grillo's Pickles Chief Commercial Officer Mark Luker calls them "functional benefits."

"We love to do unhinged collabs at Grillo's," Luker says. "With that, we don't always get to talk about the functional benefits of pickles. When we partnered with Smoothie King for a hydration smoothie, we knew this was a great opportunity to do both. Those who are willing to try will be pleasantly surprised (and hydrated)."

And if pickles are not your thing, Smoothie King is also simultaneously unveiling five watermelon smoothies including fan-favorite Watermelon Hydration, Watermelon X-Treme, Gut Health, The Activator Recovery Watermelon, and Power Meal Slim Watermelon.

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