Since opening their first Scooter’s Coffee franchise, Ryan Scoggin, Stan Buncher and Fischer Van Handel have strived to offer great service, great coffee and the quickest drive-thru experience they can.

“Ninety-five percent of our time is spent on building a world-class team,” Buncher said. “They represent us. Our chief marketing officer is the person working the window. From Day 1, it has been very, very important to us to build an amazing team.”

Earlier this month, their hard work paid off.

Since opening their first Scooter’s Coffee franchise, Ryan Scoggin, Stan Buncher and Fischer Van Handel have strived to offer great service, great coffee and the quickest drive-thru experience they can. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

The trio, whose Pyramid Coffee team runs four Memphis-area Scooter’s Coffee locations, were named Franchisee of the Year by the Nebraska-based chain at its annual conference. 

The award recognizes a franchise owner for outstanding performance in areas such as sales, community involvement, employee management and overall contribution to the brand. 

Van Handel said offering customers value is important to Pyramid Coffee.

To that end, the trio introduced a new concept to the chain called “Daily Deals.” Every day of the week, they offer a special. For instance, on Mondays — dubbed “Motivation Monday” — guests can get a free extra shot in their coffee to jump-start the week. 

“Waffle Wednesday is the most popular,” Van Handel said. “That day it is buy one, get one free on all food items.”

Pyramid Coffee opened its first Scooter’s Coffee in Millington in August 2023. The company followed that with new stores in Covington, Southaven and Horn Lake. Four additional locations are in the works.

The additional Memphis-area Scooter’s Coffee locations are owned by a different franchisee.

Scoggin said one of his favorite parts about the brand is its focus on community involvement: 

“We try to get involved in the community to build support for the brand from the ground up, plus to give back,” he said. 

Each location partners with a local charity once a month to donate 10% of a day’s sales to that organization.

“We are really humbled by (winning Franchisee of the Year) so early on, especially since we are in the process of doubling our business in the coming year,” Van Handel said.

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Chef Kelly English has opened a food truck. The menu at Rocket Greens & Things includes nine signature salad creations plus a “choose-your-own-adventure” option.

Jane Roberts reported on Green Leaf Container Cafe + Farm Stand, which is set to open at the beginning of April. The cafe and farm stand at 1025 College St. is located in a shipping container and serves breakfasts and lunches heavy on organic greens and other crops raised by local children in the Knowledge Quest after-school program.

Knowledge Quest Executive Director Marlon Foster opened Green Leaf Container Cafe + Farm Stand, a concession stand built inside a shipping container on College Street. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

In her weekly Food Files article, Sophia Surrett reported a new Middle Eastern-inspired coffee shop called Sweet Eye Coffee House has opened in the Cordova Towne Center. In the same column, she also told us about two new chains: Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux opened in Southaven and Teriyaki Madness will open on Germantown Parkway this summer.

In this week’s What to Order column, I shared my favorite bar snacks at the Flyway Brewing Co. taproom in the Edge District. The duck tenders and the pickle plate are the perfect shareable appetizers to accompany a craft brew.

Joshua Carlucci’s $10 Deal this week comes from Lao Street Kitchen. He describes the pop-up’s papaya salad as “a master class in balance, hitting sweet, sour, salty and spicy all at once.”

 Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

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