Drivin’ Thru Northwest Arkansas

Thirsty? Aren’t we all. It seems we’re always in search of some liquid gold to fill up our cups. For some, that’s their favorite smoothie, for others it’s a straight black cup of Joe or a fueled-up energy drink. Everyone has their favorite morning beverage, followed by that afternoon pick-me-up. No matter what your favorite drink stop is, we at McLarty Daniel Nissan in Bentonville, Arkansas, love a good drive-thru drink stop.

If you can’t start your day without a cup of coffee, there’s no shortage of places to choose from. With the population of Northwest Arkansas growing, more and more small drive-thru coffee shops are popping up in places like Centerton, Farmington, Lowell and Siloam Springs.

Small businesses are making a name for themselves in the coffee business. Located in Hiwasse, The Coffee Container is in the perfect location, nestled between Bella Vista and Gravette, right off the exit of the new highway that takes you to Joplin. This new highway has increased the traffic flow and fulfills the need for that early morning caffeine cure.

Created from a converted shipping container, they serve the usual coffee house selections but with a twist. Swirled Cheesecake and Krunky Monkey are two of their original coffee concoctions. They also offer over 20 sugar-free flavor options, including Almond Roca and Belgian Cookie.

Ember Mountain Coffee is another small chain making its mark on NWA’s drive-thru coffee scene. With two locations, one in Pea Ridge and one in Gentry, Ember provides customers with the same quality they’ve come to expect from, say, Onyx Coffee or even Starbucks, but without having to make that drive into town.

What’s so great about driving-thru the local coffee shop is finding your new faves. Ember Mountain Coffee has some fun ones up its sleeve…or should we say in their cup. You can try a Creamy Mudslide with Irish cream, vanilla and white chocolate or maybe The Honey Oat is a vanilla latte made with honey, cinnamon and oat milk. Step out of your comfort zone with the Confident Blackberry, which is blackberry chai. The menu says, “Trust us…Give it a try.” If you’re indecisive, just order Barista’s Choice, and they’ll make you up a surprise.

Need a tune-up before or after your coffee run? Here’s why you should service your Nissan at McLarty Daniel.

Another local favorite is Locals Coffee in Fayetteville, which has the motto “Drive Thru & Leave Better!” Their goal is to provide specialty coffee with speed, accessibility and convenience. Not only is their service drive-thru only, but they offer online ordering for any of their signature lattes, classics, teas and Red Bull drinks. Some unique signature lattes on their menu are Herbalicius with lavender, mint, rosemary and thyme or the Spiced Cherry with Mexican chile and cherry.  

We haven’t forgotten about 7Brew, which has over 10 locations in NWA, with three in Rogers and two in Fayetteville. Watch out, Starbucks, 7Brew is coming for you! 7Brew has made a successful niche because of its quick access as a drive-thru-only destination. It’s easy to swing in and out on your way to work or on your way home from school. 7Brew features original iced, hot or chilled coffee drinks as well as energy drinks, smoothies, teas and shakes.  

For the purists out there, Sonic reigns supreme as the original drive-thru drink stop, thanks to its unique addition of flavors offered as add-ins to your drink of choice. Want a raspberry-chocolate limeade slush? Sure. How about a vanilla Diet Dr Pepper with strawberries? Got it. Sonic claims to have close to 1.3 million drink combinations. If you can’t find something you like there, you might as well just stay home and remain thirsty.

Sonic offers sodas, slushes, milkshakes and coffees on its menu, all half-priced from 2-4 p.m. every day during Happy Hour. Even better, if you download the Sonic app, you’ll get happy hour all day long. 

New to the drive-thru beverage game is the Original PopUp Drink Thru, which recently opened in Bentonville. They offer their own brand of energy drink, RevUp, which comes in Original and Zero Sugar with caffeine, B vitamins and taurine. But what’s unique about PopUp’s energy drink is that it has extra carbonation because it’s on tap, which also makes it more sustainable than other energy drinks that produce excess waste from single-use cans. Besides energy drinks, their menu offers coffee specialties, tea, lemonades, shakes and specialty sodas. 

Taking a page from Taylor Swift’s songbook, they offer two Diet Coke drinks. One is called Love Story with coconut and fresh lime and the other called Blank Space with watermelon and fresh lime. Are Queen or Elton John more your style? In that case, you can order a Dr Pepper-based soda titled Bohemian Raspberry with raspberry puree and coconut cream or Rocket Man with vanilla and coconut cream.

No matter where you wet your whistle, make sure you do it in a Nissan Altima, Rogue, Frontier or Titan. When asked where you got such a beautiful car, make sure you tell them to come see us at McLarty Daniel Nissan off Moberly Lane in Bentonville.  

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