Barista in a Box: Coffee kiosks satisfy statewide cravings.

• Author: Newman, Amy

Mellissa Feller was in college when she began working as a barista at the Espresso Wagon in Soldotna, the first drive-thru coffee kiosk on the Kenai Peninsula. She worked there on and off for thirteen years, building relationships with customers and learning the art of coffee making. When the owners were ready to sell in 2018, Feller and her husband Lonnie bought it. The decision was part business, part nostalgia.

"I wanted to keep my job, and I wanted the Wagon to stay the same," she says. "I didn't want another coffee shop chain to buy it and change everything, because we'd worked too hard for all of our loyal customers. And I wanted a way of making my own income while still being able to be a stay-at-home mom."

Set on empty lots, street corners, and parking lots, these small, standalone drive-thru coffee kiosks are seemingly everywhere. A Facebook search yields approximately 120 coffee kiosks from Ketchikan to Utqiagvik and almost every village and town in between-more, accounting for businesses with multiple locations. That's roughly one kiosk for every 6,100 Alaskans seeking a jolt of java on a chilly winter morning or to fuel their summer adventures.

The sheer number of kiosks and their small footprint give the impression that they're an easy path to business success. Owners say that, just like brewing the perfect cup of coffee, running one is harder than it looks.

"It's just not as simple as people think," says Kelly Cooper, owner of Coop's Coffee in Homer. "I would say the general public thinks these are cash cows and you open up and it just grows through the window. It's just not that way."

Terika Kons, who owns Stars & Stripes Coffee Shop in Anchorage, agrees.

"I think people think that, because they're so small, they're easy to start and operate," she says. "But you still have to go through all the same steps as a regular business in the food industry. There are lots of requirements to meet to ensure the public's safety."

In other words, there's a lot happening on the other side of the window at your favorite coffee kiosk. From creating the perfect beverage and keeping machines in good repair to challenges found only in Alaska--"There's no good solution for carrying your drinks when you're on a dog sled or snow machine," says Syneva Runyan, owner of Lulu's Coffee in Kotzebue--here's how kiosks keep the hot coffee flowing and the cold foam frothy.

Dreams of Java

Owners' reasons for opening a drive-thru coffee kiosk are as varied as...