Oregon coffee chain Human Bean plans to open in Kent by end of August
The Human Bean, a drive-thru coffee shop with roots in Oregon, is coming to Kent.
Along Route 59 in Franklin Township, in front of the Acme grocery store, work has been proceeding on the building that will house the newest addition to the west coast coffee franchise.
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The first store, a drive-thru espresso stand, opened in Ashland, Oregon in 1998. According to the company's website, it expanded rapidly into Southern Oregon.
Their success led them to turn the business into a franchise in 2002. Since then, The Human Bean has opened or has begun to develop more than 300 locations in 25 states. Currently, they have a store open in Streetsboro, and two other Ohio locations.
Ron Watson, chief operations officer for The Human Bean, anticipates that the Kent store will open around mid-to-late August.
"It depends on how quickly we can get the utilities and all that good stuff hooked up," Watson said. "We'll do kind of a soft opening just to get the baristas on their feet and comfortable. And then, after a week or two, we'll do a grand opening. We'll give out a lot of merchandise, have some specials on drinks."
The Human Bean offers traditional coffee house fare and a selection of teas, but they also sell a variety of fresh fruit smoothies, Watson said. He added that their customer service will set them apart as well.
"We try to hire people that are just naturally friendly, enjoy talking to people, care about the job they're doing, the interactions that they have, and the quality of the drinks they're handing out," Watson said. "People seem to appreciate that, an exceptional level of customer service.
In order to fully staff the new store, Watson said they'll likely need 20 people on the payroll. Starting wages will be around $9.50 to $10 per hour, depending on the applicant's experience. After a two- to three-week training period, merit based raises are issued depending on performance.
"The tips are generally pretty good," Watson said. "They've been very good at the Canton store. We have a lot of regular customers there that appreciate the service they get. They're not afraid to let the baristas know that through tips."
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at dkreider@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Oregon coffee chain The Human Bean to open store in Kent
