Coffee Times brewing up local support to compete with big chains

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Coffee Times is a small but mighty coffee stand at the corner of Speedway and Jones in Midtown Tucson.

Co-owner Jeremy Cripps sees the cars and already knows the orders.

“People feel like they’re home when they come here," he said with a smile.

About 400 cars line up at the double drive-thru every day, he says. Others use the walk-up window.

The store itself has only employees inside, working in close-quarters.

“It’s a well-oiled machine," said Cripps. "It’s controlled chaos, I would say.”

But now, just a hundred feet away, what has been an empty lot is now a brand new Dunkin' Drive-Thru.

That could pull some coffee-seekers away. But Cripps isn't worried about the new next door neighbor.

“I certainly welcomed them to the neighborhood," he told KGUN. "Ever since we’ve opened we’ve had a lot of the big chains open up around us. And you maybe feel a little trepidation at first, but… we get a boost. We get busier, every time…"

Cripps believes the new chains may get more people along this stretch of Speedway thinking about coffee, eventually sending more traffic toward the shop.

Coffee Times gives others a boost too—featuring cold brew, bagels and pastries from other Tucson businesses.

“It’s really mutually beneficial, I think," said Hannah Houlden, whose vegan bakery Houlden's Rise Above is available at Coffee Times. "When we’re open here on the weekends we have a ton of people come in that are like, ‘We tried you at Coffee Times, and now we’re so happy to come here and get some more treats from you.’”

And as Coffee Times pours love into the community — it also gets it right back. Cripps says the community helped push his business through tough economic times during the height of the pandemic.

“It just opens my heart," he said, getting emotional. "It feels like you’re being seen. And it’s glorious, really.”