Aroma Joe’s isn’t your typical drive-thru coffee and handcrafted beverage chain. Instead of placing orders through an intercom, every customer is greeted face-to-face by a friendly and smiling barista.
It’s that type of personal connection, along with a mouthwatering menu, that always attracted Chandrasekhara Raju Muppala to the brand as a customer. Now, Muppala is sitting on the other side of the drive-thru window and delivering the same positivity and upbeat service.
The Indian native is the owner of Aroma Joe’s latest franchise location in Methuen, Mass. The new, 800-square-foot drive-thru location opened earlier this month.
“I plan to serve coffee at the window myself to see the smiles from our customers,” Muppala said.
Muppala fulfills entrepreneurial dream
Muppala wanted to run his own business ever since he was a kid in India. After studying electrical engineering, he moved to the US in 2001 and worked in IT until he finally decided to become a franchisee.
The husband and father of two didn’t just choose Aroma Joe’s on a whim, either. He was a customer for about 10 years, and fell in love with the franchise’s coffee and unique business model of creating a personalized experience for every customer.
“I want to make people’s days start with a smile and a nice coffee,” said Muppala, whose daughter also works at Aroma Joe’s. “… That is my passion, and if they share their feedback – that’s the best part.”
The location is celebrating the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring local officials, as well as a series of different promotions involving free drinks each week through the rest of the month. The first week of promotions (March 9-13) is offering a free order to every 15th customer, while the second week will provide a free AJ’s Rush energy drink. The final promo will be free coffee week, with a different flavor in any size available each day.
Aroma Joe’s is spreading its positive vibes in the Northeast and Florida
Muppala’s store is the 14th Aroma Joe’s location to open in Massachusetts. It has more than 130 locations in eight states, including Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine, where Aroma Joe’s is headquartered.
In addition to fresh-brewed craft-roasted coffee and energy drinks, Aroma Joe’s offers breakfast sandwiches on bagels and croissants, hash browns, soft pretzels, muffins, and donuts.
