Jittery Joe’s, which has been part of the Athens community since 1994, this month opened its first drive-thru location — and first franchise location — at 299 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Franchise owners Jeff Bates and Adam Gillis are hoping to connect with the Lawrenceville community as they also look toward future expansion, eyeing markets such as Monroe and Jefferson.
“We bring that whole atmosphere, that whole idea of a coffee company that’s localized, and really just want to branch it out to different areas of Georgia,” Gillis told What Now Atlanta.
The brand is hoping to roll out 10 new Jittery Joe’s locations over the next 12 months as traditional cafes, cafes with drive-thru service and drive-thru-only locations. However, Drew French, CEO of Jittery Joe’s Franchising, told What Now Atlanta they are not looking to expand too quickly and are focusing on Georgia before entering other states.
He believes the brand will grow through their methodical, community-first approach.
“As we continue to show that we’re adding value to the local communities that we serve, more and more people get to experience the brand firsthand,” French said. ”We think we’ll actually just grow in that way.”
The new Lawrenceville location features coffee, lattes, chai, and matcha alongside energy drinks, dirty sodas, biscuit and bagel sandwiches and new pizza snackers. French said they also have a Lawrenceville latte where 10% of the sales of that drink go to the Lawrenceville Arbor Foundation.
As Bates and Gillis continue to expand their footprint with the brand, they hope to keep the community-centric mindset alive, which Gillis says sets Jittery Joe’s apart.
“If that means we open up five, if that means we open up 10, we don’t want to lose that personal effect of connecting with our communities,” Gillis said. “There are other coffee companies, but do they have that connection with the community that we’re really looking to get?”
