Scooter's Coffee Grew From $40,000 Kiosk to 900 Stores, $859 Million Sales

Don and Linda Eckles opened the first Scooter's Coffee kiosk in the Omaha, Nebraska area in 1998 after banks rejected their business plan. They borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to start the drive-thru coffee stand. The first location eventually broke even.

By the fifth store, the couple borrowed another $150,000 to build two kiosks at a nearby mall. Construction costs rose and nearly pushed the company under, according to Forbes. Customers and friends began asking to open their own Scooter's locations around the same time.

That interest led the company to begin franchising in 2001, allowing expansion without the Eckles funding every new outlet. More than a decade into operations, Don Eckles contacted then-Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett about a possible acquisition.

Buffett decided Scooter's was too small to move the needle for Berkshire Hathaway but suggested McCarthy Capital, now known as M-One Capital, as another potential investor.

A 2018 deal with M-One Capital allowed Don and Linda Eckles to focus more on expansion. 5 percent, while top franchisees post net income margins above 20 percent. Scooter's Coffee now has more than 900 locations across 32 states and generated $859 million in systemwide sales last year.

Don and Linda Eckles remain majority owners. Joe Thornton became CEO in 2024. Reuters reported last year that the company was exploring a sale that could value the chain at close to $1 billion. "For now, we love being a privately held company," the Eckles told Forbes.