Sophomore Emily Lueckenotto

Pulling into the drive-thru, sophomore Emily Lueckenotto anticipates getting her drink to start her day. Her go-to order is an iced chai “Golden Eagle,” a vanilla and caramel breve that can be customized to fit the personal preferences. 

“It’s sweet but it’s not too sweet and it has a really good balance of everything,” Lueckenotto said.

Lueckenotto found that the overall experience of Dutch Bros was better than what she had experienced in the past. Lueckenotto was greeted by friendly, energetic staff members and she found that the drinks were crafted better. 

“The quality of the drinks is surprisingly good, a lot better than Starbucks in my opinion,” Lueckenotto said. 

When she first tried Dutch Bros, she noticed significant differences between it and Starbucks. Lueckenotto also found that her normal chai-based drink that was her go-to order at Starbucks was presented in new ways. According to Lueckenotto, she discovered that Starbucks was limiting her options, and once she went to Dutch Bros there was a wider variety than she ever expected. 

“Starbucks doesn’t have as many options as Dutch Bros,” Lueckenotto said. “[At Dutch Bros] you can customize different types of the same base of drink.”

Senior Adrian Villegas

Inching the car closer to the window, senior Adrian Villegas prepares to order his new usual drink. His go-to order is a blended “Caramelizer” with soft top, a caramel mocha. However, Villegas said he also enjoys the category of drink called “Rebels.” The drinks can be customized in a variety of ways, but Villegas always gets his blended.

“Getting them blended just tastes better and it allows you to get more for your money,” Villegas said. 

As a frequent customer of Dutch Bros, there are a variety of things that, Villegas said, makes Dutch Bros unique. The chain gives out a monthly sticker during the first Wednesday of every month. Villegas also found that their customer service really improves the experience of going out to get coffee. The employees are friendly and genuinely want to know how their customers’ days are.  

“The atmosphere and the employees make a really big difference against other companies,” Villegas said. 

The popularity of Dutch Bros can sometimes be a hassle, but Villegas does not let other customers get in the way of him getting his needed caffeine for the day. 

“There was a car mad at us because they thought we cut them off in line, but they didn’t know how the order of the drive-thru worked,” Villegas said. “So, I typed ‘Why are you mad’ on my phone and raised it through the roof.”