Coffee News

Coffee chain from Oregon brews up first Fort Worth-area location

Coffee to-go.

Photo courtesy of BRCB

UPDATE 8-27-2021: Black Rock Coffee Bar opens its location in Southlake on August 27.

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More coffee coming to town, this time from Portland: Called Black Rock Coffee Bar, it's a small chain expanding to Dallas-Fort Worth, starting with two locations, both in the 'burbs. The closest one to Fort Worth will be in Southlake. Another is opening in Sachse, northeast of Dallas.

Black Rock does coffee and tea, but also smoothies and energy drinks. The chain was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2008, and currently has 76 stores in seven states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Texas, where it already has locations in Austin and Houston.

With these two locations, Texas will have has a total of six stores in the state.

The Southlake store is at 2305 E Southlake Blvd. on the southeast corner of Kimball. It'll open in late spring.
The Sachse store is on Hwy 78 and Woodbridge Parkway, and will be part of the Shops at Woodbridge Parkway. It'll open in March.

Their store footprints are generally pretty small, with a strong emphasis on to-go. More plastic cups, lids, and straws littering the planet.

These two stores are expected to be the first of many in the DFW area, says cofounder and chairman of Black Rock Coffee Bar Jeff Hernandez.

Hernandez is part of a three-family father-son partnership that founded the chain, which also includes his dad Rob; brothers Daniel and Jeremy Brand and their father Jack; and Ryan Hagler and his father, John.

"We at Black Rock look forward to serving the Sachse and Southlake communities and providing our authentic Black Rock experience that is lively, friendly, and welcoming," he says in a statement.

He also praises the personalities of their baristas.

"Black Rock Baristas are the most magnetic people you’ll ever meet, and they live to make a positive impact on every person that visits our stores, while serving our award-winning coffee and delicious flavored energy drinks," he says.

Most magnetic, that's a strong claim.

Black Rock employee Brian Koeniger has designed a large mural for the stores that embodies a Texas themed design; such murals are a signature element for the chain.

coffee openings

Doughnut News

Luscious doughnut shop Duck Donuts makes Fort Worth debut

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

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A decadent new doughnut shop is coming to Fort Worth: Duck Donuts, a North Carolina-based chain known for serving doughnuts made to order, will open a shop at 6387 Camp Bowie Blvd. #A within the Ridglea Plaza Shopping Center in Fort Worth.

According to a release, the shop will open on Saturday December 21 at 7 am.

Duck Donuts opened its first locations in 2007 in the beach resort towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with the intention to create an oasis for vacationers. They're now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and began franchising in 2013, with more than 150 locally owned and operated shops across 26 states and international locations. There was previously a DFW location in Addison on Belt Line Road that opened in 2020 but it did not survive the pandemic.

The Fort Worth shop is owned and operated by husband-and-wife Justin and Morgan Thomas.

“We are delighted to be opening in Fort Worth,” Justin says in a statement. “The community has been patiently waiting for us to open our doors, and now we cannot wait to sprinkle happiness to all with our warm, delicious and made-to-order doubhnuts.”

The 1,035-square-foot shop reflects the franchise’s reimagined design which gives a modern twist on their iconic beach theme and family-friendly atmosphere. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by the aroma of warm, light vanilla cake doughnuts.

Customers can create their own combination by choosing from coatings, toppings, and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.

Key to their appeal is the viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their doughnuts being made.

Many of their flavors have a beachy theme such as the Beach, a cake doughnut with vanilla icing dusted with cinnamon sugar; the Sunrise with lemon icing and raspberry drizzle; and the Beach Ball with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle.

They rotate in seasonal offerings such as the current lineup of mint-flavored flavors including chocolate icing with mint buttercream. The doughnuts themselves are limited to vanilla and chocolate cake; the flavors come primarily from icing.

In addition to doughnuts, the Fort Worth location will serve coffee, doughnut breakfast sandwiches, doughnut sundaes — in which a doughnut is topped with ice cream and syrup — plus frozen beverages and milkshakes.

doughnuts openings