Brandon Buckley has always seen the potential of a coffee truck. The Athens local owns a pizza food truck, A-Town Pies and Fries, but cold weather during the fall festival season led him to the idea of coffee and other specialty beverages.
The Rise & Grind truck is new to Court Street, offering quick service for students on the go or anyone wanting quality coffee. Often parked outside Alumni Gateway, the intersection of Court Street and Union Street serves as a hub for students in search of caffeine.
People visit the truck expecting to try a new beverage but walk away having had a personable experience.
“You’re not only selling a product, you are selling your brand,” Buckley said. “You want people to feel comfortable to come talk to you and have a little conversation.”
Buckley said he purposefully forms a relationship with each customer, something that is evident by the truck’s long lines and the presence of regular customers.
“I make people talk and get out of their comfort zone,” Buckley said. “They enjoy it and then they come back because they want to have another conversation.”
With so many coffee options uptown to choose from, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and get people to try new things. Buckley said the thing that sets Rise & Grind apart from the rest is its mobile, on-the-go service and the brand of coffee it sells.
Rise & Grind serves Dirty Girl Coffee, a coffee company with a “social mission to support women’s economic progress in Ohio’s Appalachia and beyond.” The company offers responsibly sourced coffees that support pay equity. Buckley said this is something customers notice.
“A lot of people really appreciate that,” he said. “No one uses Dirty Girl Coffee uptown.”
Word has spread quickly about the truck, eliciting a chain reaction of people coming to support the small business.
Katy Ternovan, a freshman studying strategic communications, heard about Rise & Grind from friends in her sorority and said she knew she had to try it.
“I think they offer a lot more flavor options,” she said. “And it’s a small business.”
As for the menu, there is a variety of specialty lattes and drinks to choose from, with a rotation of new flavors and creative drinks, such as the cinna-roll drink. Lattes have a standard price of $5 for a small, $5.50 for a large and $6.50 for an extra large.
The truck also offers Red Bull infusions and refreshers in addition to a selection of muffins.
Autum Hicks, a freshman studying chemical engineering, ordered the honey vanilla latte after finally getting the chance to stop by.
Whether one is looking to try a new drink or just wants to support a locally owned, growing business, Rise & Grind has something for everyone.
“It’s the only truck that I’ve seen,” Hicks said. “I just thought it was kind of cute.”
