Black Bear Yogurt Shining Spotlight On Its Espresso Side With $2 Promotion

It’s known for the Euro Tart. The New York Cheesecake. The Cable Car Chocolate.

But this week – and for the foreseeable future – wants to be known for its coffee.

When the doors open at 6 this morning at its two locations, Black Bear will be offering $2 espresso drinks.

That’s any size, any drink, any time, any day.

There are technically a few caveats: smoothies and yogatos are not included; one flavor is free and any additional are regular price; and more than one shot and breve are extra.

But $2 all-day coffee is an unprecedented move for the company, which opened in 2010 on Steilacoom Boulevard and added a drive-thru and walk-up stand on Bridgeport Way this spring.

“For a lot of coffee shops, it’s not the wisest thing to do, but it’s kind of to drive sales in here and for us to showcase our coffee program,” said Black Bear owner Jesse Roberge. “It’s a promotion. We’ll test it and see how it goes.”

Roberge is accustomed to seeing how things go. After all, Black Bear was never supposed to be a coffee shop.

“It had an espresso menu out of convenience,” he said.

But when customers expressed a desire to buy coffee when they brought their kids for frozen yogurt, he decided to put an additional $30,000 into the business to keep up with demand.

So has it been worth it?

“Tremendously,” he said. “If we were just a coffee shop, we wouldn’t make it. We would just be average, but with the yogurt and the coffee, we’re really two businesses under one umbrella.”

In January, Black Bear switched to Seattle’s Best Coffee, which Roberge says has a “bold, robust taste.”

“A lot of people really like the change,” he said.

He noted that Seattle’s Best Coffee has used the same Kent espresso roaster for 40 years. That was a big draw for Black Bear.

“They weren’t going to change the recipe or the roasting profile,” he said. “The product has stayed very true to what it was 40 years ago.”

That’s important to Roberge, who said previous coffee distributor Dillanos had some consistency issues.

“We wanted to make sure that whatever coffee we served, we were able to offer that same flavor profile that (customers) have grown to love.”

Because of Black Bear’s dual offerings, Roberge noted business peaks around 2 or 3 p.m., when most coffee shops “usually take a nosedive.” Additionally, his coffee shops are the only ones in Lakewood open past 7:30 p.m., which means the Steilacoom Boulevard store is a popular hangout for college students.

Now, he is hoping the $2 promotion will attract coffee drinkers at all hours.

“This is just trying to give validity to what we are serving,” he said. “We want people to come in and give us a try.”

Ironically, Starbucks rolls out its Treat Receipt program today, where customers can get a $2 grande drink after 2 p.m. if they purchase another drink earlier in the day throughout August.

“I didn’t know they’re starting it tomorrow,” Roberge said, adding with a small laugh, “so this is good timing.”

Living in the shadow of Starbucks – there’s one just down the street from the original store, and one about a block away from the drive-up stand – doesn’t bother Roberge, though.

“There are people who have a vendetta against Starbucks and brick-and-mortar (coffee shops),” he said. “But I’m not just a coffee shop. I want to be able to host people really well here.”