Arrow Coffee Co., located on 1800 Claflin Road, may be well known for its tasty, made-from-scratch coffees, but soon its menu will be expanded. Once the coffee shop gets approved for a liquor license, the baristas will be serving alcoholic beverages such as beers, wines and cocktails.
Currently, the liquor license is still in the works. Co-owner Ben Motley said that there are several documents to process, such as bank statements, certain approvals, changes in tax clearance and more that still need to be approved.
“It’s a lot of bureaucratic ‘i’ dotting and ‘t’ crossing,” Motley said.
Motley and co-owner David Adkins have worked together since June and considered getting the license from the beginning. Just like with their coffee, they plan on using only the best ingredients – which they admit might cost more and take more time, but will result in high quality beverages. Many of the new alcoholic drinks will be tea- and coffee-based. This includes drinks like White Russians, made with espresso, homemade whipped cream and Irish coffee.
“We want to do it our way and make it delicious,” Motley said.
Along with unique cocktails, beer and wine will be served. Motley said that many of the employees at Arrow are interested in beers and have been helping select which beer to serve. They are considering rotating breweries every month or so to keep things interesting and support local breweries. For wines, Motley said he wants to try to serve “unconventional” and “weird varieties” that will help keep the cost down and keep up with the trends in wine.
What Arrow plans to emphasize in its drinks is a flavor profile. According to Motley, there are many flavors that are naturally occurring within ingredients, and he wants to highlight that in Arrow’s drinks.
“Worst case scenario, people aren’t interested in the way we (serve alcohol),” Motely said.
Motley said he feels that if obtaining the license and expanding the menu goes his way, then there should not be a real change in clientele. Even with the change, he said that Arrow will not turn into a bar. Regular Arrow customer and friend of Motley, Karson Merkel, said he agreed with the co-owner’s decision.
“Whatever liquor (Arrow Coffee) gets will be good,” Merkel, senior in mechanical engineering, said. “It won’t be like a regular bar.”
Motley’s goal is to experiment with the menu and create new experiences for customers. Many of the customers are graduate students or professors and Motley said he wants to give these people the opportunity to come in and do homework or connect over unique drinks.
“We just want to have fun with it,” Motley said.
Bluestem Bistro, located in Aggieville, is another coffee shop that offers alcoholic beverages. Keith Sutton, Bluestem supervisor, said that Bluestem might focus more on Aggieville than Arrow, but the two businesses have a friendly, helpful relationship.
“There’s nothing but good vibes between us,” Sutton said.
Similar to what Arrow plans, Bluestem offers a unique menu that can not be found in the many bars in Aggieville. They offer a diverse array of drinks that, according to Sutton, helps Bluestem stand above many bars in the area. According to regular clients, Arrow Coffee also continues to rise and become more popular.
“Arrow just keeps growing,” Merkel said.
As the new menu gets figured out, Motley already has further plans to really provide new tasty experiences for Arrow Coffee Co.’s customers.
