Business Notes

Take the EXIT

By Drew Gieseke photo courtesy of exit 11 Coffee

Aquickly expanding coffee company recently debuted its signature drivethru experience in Brentwood. Exit 11 Coffee prides itself on quick service with an emphasis on attention to detail – not only on orders but also on the brew itself, resulting in everything from cold brew to espresso drinks and beyond that have cars lined up morning after morning.

“I’d actually driven by this place for 10 years thinking about how I could make something happen,” says Angela Garland, Exit 11 president and CEO, of 2944 S. Brentwood Blvd.

The Exit 11 new location here replaced Bonaventure Coffee shop. Garland, who grew up in Webster Groves, originally reached out in 2020 to see if the owners were interested in selling but had no luck in that effort.

This past May, though, Garland received a follow-up email out of the blue. The owners were moving back to the Pacific Northwest and wanted to sell. She and her husband/co-owner, Scott, accepted the former owners’ offer and then refurbished the space, which opened under the Exit 11 branding in late July.

“What’s cool is, we kept one of the former employees,” Garland relates. “I’d say 75 percent of the customers coming through either know her or me through family connections, friends or growing up in the area.”

Exit 11 made its debut in the summer of 2018 in Washington, Missouri, with a two-sided coffee trailer that quickly became a local favorite. In 2020, the owners opened a second drive-thru in Union.

Exit 11 now boasts six locations in the area, including a walk-in spot that doubles as a coworking space, and began roasting its own beans last November.

This do-it-yourself attitude flows from the Garlands, who share a passion for perfection. They source local and organic ingredients when they can and have direct relationships with producers – Angela Garland can easily rattle off the various farms with which they partner for supplies and ingredients.

And more often than not, you can find the Garlands at any one of their Exit 11 locations, helping sling shots of espresso and serve customers one after the next. At their busiest, locations staffed with three to four people can help 70 cars per hour thanks to the two-sided drive-thru design.

“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me because I’m a small business,” Garland states. “I want you to choose me because I’m better – because I care more! But if I sell a crappy cup of coffee, you should probably go somewhere else.” ln Exit 11 Coffee, multiple locations, 636-429-0111, exit-11.com