When it comes to identifying the most successful business ideas, coffee vans probably seem like an unlikely choice. However, these mobile cafes have a number of advantages over traditional coffee shop franchise opportunities: for example, they are novel, can be easily relocated to desirable locations and offer a popular and profitable beverage. Still skeptical? Just take it from the team behind some of Houston’s most well-known restaurants. Known for coming up with some of the most successful business ideas in the area, the group recently decided to open up their own mobile coffee van to experience the benefits of this interesting business model.
Throughout Houston, Clark Cooper Concepts is known for its diverse and delicious restaurants, from the high-end pizza at Coppa Osteria to the traditional regional fare at Punk’s Simple Southern Food. However, partners Charles Clark and Grant Cooper made a clear break from the norm with their latest venture: called the Mobile Mug, this Illy-brand coffee shop is operated from a coffee van crowned with a giant red mug and covered in newspaper headlines. The project launched on January 18, during the Houston Marathon, and officially opened for business two weeks later. If the Mobile Mug is successful, Clark Cooper Concepts reportedly plans to make the business available for different events and eventually buy several more trucks to add to their fleet.
Currently, the Mobile Mug runs on a tentative daily schedule that is often determined by local traffic conditions. They start out around Clark and Cooper’s restaurant Ibiza in the early mornings, move downtown between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and then hit Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood until evening. The coffee van currently offers only cappuccinos, lattes, espressos, Americanos, macchiatos, hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. However, with the reputation of the team behind this menu, its expected that the Mobile Mug will soon become one of Houston’s most successful business ideas even with this limited fare.