After more than five years of work and troubleshooting, Waukesha-based Octane Coffee’s first fully automated, drive-thru café — dubbed a “Fly-Thru” — will have a grand opening weekend beginning next Friday.
The company’s first location, at W229 N1400 Westwood Drive in Pewaukee, will be able to make up to 800 cups of coffee a day. Octane Coffee’s robotics allows for customers to be served in just moments after ordering through the app.
While customers on Octane Coffee’s VIP waitlist have been able to use the drive-thru at certain times since May, next weekend’s grand opening will mark the first time the public can come to the location at any time.
Octane Coffee’s automated systems can serve coffee, tea, smoothies and juice drinks to customers in under 30 seconds. When customers order and pay through the app, Octane’s “robotic server” GPS tracks a customer so that production coincides with their arrival. During next weekend’s grand opening, a new lineup of iced coffee will be unveiled.
The company is partnering with Milwaukee-based Stone Creek Coffee for all of its coffee products, as well as Pilcrow Cold Brew and Healthy Roots Juices.
“Octane Coffee isn’t just about speed. It’s about changing the very nature of the coffee drive-thru experience,” said Adrian Deasy, founder and chief executive officer of Octane Coffee. “We’re thrilled to invite the community to check out the best coffee drive-thru experience first-hand.”
Deasy previously told BizTimes Milwaukee he’s immediately planning on opening two more local Octane Coffee locations, but he hasn’t locked down exact sites yet. Both new locations will likely open in 2024. In the long-run, Octane Coffee will aim to sell its unique technology directly to big competitors like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts as labor challenges continue to plague the business world.
