Caffeine crazed teenagers in need of a morning coffee fix drive to Alcoa Exchange in hopes of grabbing a warm, caramel latte before the first school bell rings. However, with plans for a new Starbucks to fill the vacant lot beside Mi Ranchito II, students and faculty will now have a quick coffee stop on Reynolds Road.

As the only Starbucks in Saline County limits, the Alcoa location has been flooded with customers. Excited to make the change, senior Tim Croft is ready to sport his Gold Card at a new location.

“I go to Starbucks three to four times a week, sometimes before school, sometimes after work to do homework and chill out,” Croft said. “Having a Starbucks in Bryant, closer to the school, is going to be great. It will be easier to grab a pick me up in the morning or before work instead of driving to Alcoa.”

Though anticipation for the new shop continues to build, many worry how traffic will be affected. Working with the city’s traffic department, Ward 3 city councilman B. E. Higginbotham hopes the new plan will increase traffic flow.

“Obviously, [traffic is] already bad at that location,” Higginbotham said. “The city will be moving the entrance of Evans Loop over a few feet to change the angle of ingress and egress to better accept traffic.”
The city is currently removing the old Glenn’s 66 gas station from the plot of land. The environmental surveillance has taken time as gas tanks are drained and removed, but construction on the new Starbucks should begin soon after the inspection is over.