Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, like any coffee shop, is used to regulars.
What they weren’t expecting was a whole new crop of them while the coronavirus pandemic took over society.
“A lot of our normal regulars we had before, I haven’t seen them as much, or if they are [coming], they’re just buying beans now,” says manager Tiffany McAnarney. “We have a whole new batch of regulars we see coming through. … So I’ll see that girl that’s never been here before, that now comes every morning.”
It could be, too, that casual fans are making sure they support their favorite places while local businesses do all they can to stay open through COVID-19.
Noble Coyote also makes the curbside experience easy. You can order online ahead — drinks, beans, coffee equipment, etc. — and they’ll bring it to your car.
If you pull up without ordering ahead of time, you can call when you get there. Large windows make for an odd but somehow comforting experience as an employee can hold up bags of coffee beans, describing each of them, before you say, “Yes, that one.” It’s community in the new normal. Temporary normal? Whatever we’re calling these days.
Noble Coyote simply has great coffee. Owners Marta and Kevin Sprague started it in 2011, bringing excellent coffee beans to Dallas. We give them bonus points for choosing Expo Park in South Dallas/Fair Park for supplying us with these goods.
While black-coffee drinkers can consistently expect a good cup, those who like milk in their coffee have options, too.
Right now, they’ve brought back a drink for spring: the bouquet latte. Served hot or cold, this one comes with lavender and rose syrup.
“I think I came up with it last year: We had so many people who said they loved lavender in lattes. I said, ‘If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it my way,’” McAnarney says.
So she balances it out with rose, taking the dried ingredients, soaking them in water, extracting the leaves, then making syrup.
“That has been one of our biggest hits, lattes in general,” she says. “Even a lot of the regulars who just used to get an Americano or pour-over every day, our latte sales are through the roof.”
At this point, that’s not surprising: We’ve heard restaurant, bakery and now coffee shop owners saying people are seeking comfort foods. So (again, for those who are OK with ingredients such as milk in their perfectly fine coffee) this may be what hits the spot for them.
Delivery to your car is no-contact: Just open a window (in this case, the backseat) and they'll drop in your items.
Taylor Adams
“It’s been kind of interesting, it’s a little different,” Kevin Sprague says. “We’ve definitely seen our wholesale accounts kind of drop or [are] almost non-existent; then online, direct to the consumer, has blown up.”
They’ve previously had classes on coffee, and they’ve moved those to their Facebook page — more of those may be in the future, Sprague says. But other than that, they’re less than sure what the rest looks like when people start heading out of their homes again.
“Honestly, I don’t have an answer,” he says. “I think we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens with everything. There’s no way to know. We’re prepping for stuff, depending on where everything goes. We’re just going to have to be quick on our feet.”
Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, 819 Exposition Ave. (South Dallas/Fair Park). 214-321-4321. Open for curbside pickup 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
