Scooter’s Coffee has broken ground on a more than $40 million cold storage distribution facility near its Omaha, Nebraska, home base, a key step in supporting its rapidly growing US drive-thru network that now exceeds 900 locations across 32 states as of February 2026, according to a company blog post and local coverage of the event.
The 154,400-square-foot complex in Papillion, Nebraska, held its groundbreaking on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, and is scheduled to open in June 2027, Hastings Tribune reported, citing project details and local officials. The facility at 11656 S. 158 St. is expected to employ more than 70 people initially, growing to approximately 100, and will support more than 330 Scooter’s coffeehouse locations, the newspaper said.
Design specifications published by GCRMag describe a 93,520-square-foot warehouse, a 43,200-square-foot freezer kept at -10°F (-23°C), a 9,720-square-foot cold dock and refrigerated area held at 36°F (2°C), and 8,000 square feet of office space. The site will also include 20 loading dock positions, one drive-in ramp, 20 battery chargers, and 3,000 amps of electrical service, according to GCRMag.
Scooter’s Coffee Chief Supply Chain Officer Nick Jarecke said in remarks quoted by GCRMag and the Hastings Tribune that “this new distribution center represents an important investment in the future of Scooter’s Coffee and our ability to support continued growth across the region,” adding that by strengthening cold storage and distribution capabilities, the chain is “better positioned to serve our franchisees, maintain product quality, and support the speed and consistency our customers expect.”
The project is being built by ARCO National Construction, which described the Papillion site as Scooter’s third distribution center in the greater Omaha area and its second-largest facility nationally, behind an Indianapolis, Indiana, distribution center opened in early 2025. ARCO Vice President Sam Stahnke said in an ARCO press release that the company is “proud to partner on a facility that will play a key role in supporting Scooter’s Coffee’s growth and regional distribution network.”
According to Scooter’s 900-store milestone announcement, the Indianapolis center spans 183,000 square feet, and together with distribution hubs in Omaha, Kansas City, Dallas and Atlanta, forms part of a six-site US network supplying syrups, coffee beans and pastries to stores. The Hastings Tribune reported that coffee beans for all Scooter’s locations are roasted at the company’s headquarters in Omaha, reflecting a vertically integrated model that centralizes roasting and distribution.
Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s has evolved into what GCRMag identifies as the second-largest drive-thru specialty coffee chain in the United States, behind Dutch Bros. The brand operates mainly via franchised locations, with about 20 company-owned stores and the remainder run by independent franchise operators, the Hastings Tribune noted.
That franchise-led expansion has accelerated in recent years. Scooter’s reported adding 83 stores in 2025, a 10% year-on-year increase, following 16% growth in 2024, and said it passed the 800-store milestone in June 2024 before surpassing 900 stores by February 2026. The chain has appeared on Yelp’s Top 50 Fastest Growing Brands list for three consecutive years; in the 2026 edition, it ranked 13th overall and third among coffee brands, behind 7 Brew and Black Rock Coffee Bar, according to Yelp and GCRMag.
Growth is also extending Scooter’s geographic footprint. On 21 April 2026, the company announced a multi-store development agreement with Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee’s franchise operator in the US, to develop 31 new Scooter’s Coffee stores in North Carolina and Virginia, PRNewswire reported. There are currently 14 locally owned Scooter’s locations in North Carolina, and the 31 additional sites will mark the brand’s first presence in Virginia, according to the same announcement.
Tim Arpin, Scooter’s Chief Growth Officer, said in that PRNewswire release that Boddie-Noell is “exactly the type of partner we look for as we continue to scale Scooter’s Coffee across the country,” citing the company’s operational discipline and experience with multi-unit growth. Boddie-Noell Executive Vice President Mike Hancock stated that the group sees “significant opportunity to grow the brand” in the two states and aims to build a strong presence in communities it already serves.
As infrastructure is built out alongside its store count, Scooter’s appears positioned within a broader shift toward drive-thru formats in the US branded coffee shop market, which World Coffee Portal valued at $58.5 billion and described, along with GCRMag, as seeing rapid expansion for operators focused on speed, convenience and beverage customization.
