Scooter's coming to Seward with eyes on October opening

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A familiar name in the Nebraska coffee market is finally coming to Seward. 

Franchisees have been approved to open a Scooter's location on the 500 Block of Bradford St. Pending final hurdles and legalities, dirt should move quickly on that project, according to franchisees and the business district.

Gina and Kevin Hall have family in Seward and have a vested interest in Seward. They saw York open a Scooter's last year, which Kevin said has done good business.

“We thought it would be a great place for Scooter's Coffee,” Kevin said. “So we thought we'd give it a try.”

The Nebraska-based coffee chain would technically be part of the Downtown Revitalization Project, one of the many focuses of the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership, although its scheduled location would offer something different than the current coffee shops downtown like J.D.'s Coffee Shop and Neutral Grounds. Hall explained that the Scooter's location will be drive-thru only and occupy lot space between Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church and the future site of Alp's Indoor Dog Park. An initial space issue with access to dumpsters arose when planning, although Hall explained those issues have been resolved. 

Instead of a sit-down, or more conventional coffee shop business models, Hall explained that this Scooter's location would try to capitalize more on a transient audience.

“Highway 15 does carry a bit of traffic from north heading into Lincoln,” Hall said. “We're pretty excited about that location and we feel that Seward is a strong community that doesn't have a drive-thru coffee shop like that.”

SCCDP President Jonathan Jank explained that not only does the location add to the beautification aspect of the Downtown Revitalization, filling under-utilized space, but it offers a local alternative to those who may find themselves too busy to stop at a conventional sit-down coffee shop for a morning beverage. 

“It really is focused on serving all citizens but especially the commuter population,” Jank said. “We have a significant amount of people who leave the community to work and come in to work, and for that commuter population this is extremely fast service and capture that business in town.”

Jank also mentioned that through Nebraska Department of Transportation numbers, Highway 15 through Seward sees upwards of 10,000 vehicles daily. So, as he said, getting a Nebraska-based business to tap into that market was seen as a win-win for those involved.

Should the final permits go through as expected, construction should begin on the Scooter's location for the middle of August and Hall hopes to open the location by the end of October.