Demolition is underway on the former home of Mugshots, located between Ruby Tuesday and Whataburger off U.S. Highway 90, as Tennessee-based developers work towards building a new Dutch Bros Coffee shop.
Mugshots Grill & Bar left its Pace venue to return to its former Pensacola home at 4781 Bayou Blvd. earlier in the year, and their exit gave way for one of the nation’s rising fast-coffee franchises to plant its roots in Santa Rosa County.
The county permitted developers to demolish the structure on Oct. 6, but has not yet approved plans to build the new Dutch Bros.
Santa Rosa County Planning & Zoning Director Shawn Ward told the News Journal that the Dutch Bros isn’t just unapproved, but developers haven’t submitted a formal site plan package to build the coffee shop.
“A pre-application and a demolition permit have been issued for the subject property; however, no formal site plan review application or detailed development plans have been submitted at this time,” Ward said in an email.
Santa Rosa County received plans to build the coffee shop inside the Pace Crossroads shopping plaza on Oct. 3 and developers met with county officials for a pre-application meeting less than a week later.
Pre-application meetings are informal and allow developers to get an idea of what they’ll need for approval, but a formal review is still required at a later date.
The potential Pace Dutch Bros is the only proposed location in the county at this time.
RNMC Pace LLC, a Tennessee-based developer group, is behind the proposal, and Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser records also show they bought the parcel for $3,175,000 on Aug. 11.
If approved, however, the Pace Dutch Bros Coffee location would be the first iteration of the Oregon-based chain in Santa Rosa County.
There is currently one operating Dutch Bros coffee shop in Escambia County and three more proposed locations.
What happened to Mugshots in Pace?
When Mugshots entered the Pensacola area, it opened two locations, one in Pensacola, replacing a former Chili’s, and another in Pace, replacing the former Ryan’s buffet chain.
While the Pensacola location shut down, the Pace location remained open for several years. However, Pace Mugshots relocated back to Pensacola in the original restaurant space earlier in the year.
What’s Dutch Bros Coffee?
Dutch Bros Coffee originated in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1992 as a pushcart after its founders Dane and Travis Boersma quit the dairy business to begin selling coffee.
After friends, families and locals caught on to Dutch Bros, its founders began their plans for expansion, with their first franchise location opening in Oregon during 2000.
What can I order at Dutch Bros?
Customers can choose from dozens of beverages and flavors at Dutch Bros, whether getting a hot or cold drink. From shakes and smoothies to protein coffee and energy drinks, Dutch Bros has many choices to try.
Customers can choose from three different flavors of their muffin tops or have a granola bar to go along with their beverage.
Repeat visitors can receive free drinks, Dutch Bros stickers and other rewards by earning points through its mobile app, which can be downloaded from either the App Store or Google Play.
Dutch Bros Coffee in Pensacola, Florida
Dutch Bros has been pushing to expand its footprint across the U.S in recent years, including 20 locations across Florida at the time of writing.
The only Dutch Bros Coffee open in Pensacola is located at 523 W. Nine Mile Road, but there are four additional stores planned between Escambia and Santa Rosa counties including the Pace location.
The potential coffee shops are proposed for development at the following addresses.
Dutch Bros Coffee (Escambia County)
Dutch Bros Coffee (Santa Rosa County)
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Demolition starts on old Mugshots building in Pace. What’s replacing it
Reporting by Edward Bunch III, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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