Just off of Lewisville-Clemmons Road, there is a sleek, new, drive-thru inspiring high spirits with the aroma of espresso beans and upbeat music in the air. Clutch Coffee Bar is the latest addition to Clemmons, and with it comes a lot of excitement for their unique menu, customer service spirit, and of course, a convenient stop for students to get their daily dose of energy.
Clutch Coffee Bar started up in 2018 with founders Darren Spicer, John Anderson and Jake Vandermeer. They opened their first two locations in Mooresville, NC and later opened the Winston-Salem and Greensboro locations. Clemmons is the latest on their ever-growing list, and with the exception of the Winston location, all Clutch locations are drive-thru only, even before COVID-19. Co-founder Darren Spicer spoke on what initially sparked his idea to open the company in an interview with the Winston-Salem Journal.
“John and I grew up in Oregon and worked in drive-thru coffee on the West Coast for about a decade each. Drive-thru coffee isn’t as common on the East Coast as it is on the West Coast,” Spicer said.
Clutch built their business off of three pillars that they call the Three C’s: Customer, Culture and Community. Customer service is a major focus at the coffee bar, which is apparent upon arrival as you are greeted with cheerful music and conscientious workers. In fact, the new location even offered free drinks all day long on their opening, April 3. During an interview with the Mooresville Tribune, John Anderson explained the three men’s values they hoped to bring to life in the business.
“We shared a vision of people, coffee and culture, and exactly two years ago, we decided to bring our concept of drive-through coffee to life,” Anderson said.
Along with a strong desire for authentic customer service, Clutch uses fair-trade organic coffee in all of its products. The menu has options that set it apart from other coffee shops. First, they offer energy drinks that can be served iced or frozen in a variety of flavors, the most popular one being the blue raspberry flavor. Any coffee on the menu can be “amped” for $1, adding two extra espresso shots for those craving a real energy boost. In addition to their specialty coffee and energy drinks, Clutch sells smoothies, milkshakes, teas and juices. As well as the drinks on the menu, they also sell a few food items including muffins and pastries. Given the wide menu, even coffee-haters can find something they enjoy.
Clutch is not currently hiring but is always accepting applications which can be found on their website, https://www.clutchcoffeebar.com/. A few West students have gotten jobs at the new location, including senior Nick Berenson. Berenson spoke of his favorite part of working at the new coffee bar.
“I love making the drinks and interacting with customers, everyone seems to be in a better mood once they get their coffee,” Berenson said.
With the addition of Clutch Coffee to Clemmons, locals are excited about the refreshing new taste it brings in both their products and customer service attitude. Given that the location has gained a lot of traction, it is anticipated to become a new hot spot for students.