SAN ANGELO, Texas — When thinking of popular coffee drive-thrus, national chains like Starbucks or Dunkin' might come to mind.
However, what about the customers who prefer to shop local?
Xertz Coffee in San Angelo is a popular West Texas spot perfect for those searching for caffeine on the go.
"The main thing, of course with the drive-thru concept is to provide quality and efficient service, you know, of course with quality drinks as well," general manager Elisa Silva said. "There's not very many drive-thru coffee places, especially places that specialize in more of the traditional aspect of coffee...we have the special twist of all our espresso drinks that we have, they're all hand made from the beginning."
The shop first opened under its original owners in 2020. Earlier this year, Chrisstian Rocha and his wife took over the business while Silva was promoted to her current role.
Unlike most major chains, Xertz creates its wide range of beverages without the help of larger manufacturers.
"One of the things is all of our coffee that we have is single origin," Silva said. "Which basically means that the same farm that grows the coffee also roasts it, it goes from there straight to here."
The drink making process itself involves a grinder and a tamper, which help create the thickness and shots of espresso grinds.
According to Silva, a long shot makes the coffee bitter while a shorter shot (called a ristretto) can create a more watery taste. Thus, it's important to find that perfect balance.
Some of the shop's most popular drinks include the iced caramel macchiato, iced white mocha and vanilla sweet cream cold brew. Especially in the hotter months, iced coffee tends to be the way of the customer.
Xertz also offers pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha flavors year round for those who might be craving a seasonal beverage at less typical times.
Silva herself grew up in the small town restaurant business. Approximately two and a half years ago, she moved to San Angelo for better opportunities.
"It's the people," Silva said when discussing her favorite part of the job. "I love people, I love customer service, I love not managing people but having a relationship with employees, you know, that's the one thing I've always felt really strongly about."
The shop is run by eight total employees: the two owners, their daughter and Silva make up half the team. Being able to work together is a big part of the overall success.
"A thriving business is all just the exact results of thriving employees and a thriving working team," Silva said. "You know, we can have the best skills that we can have for whatever we do, all the experience that we can have, we can have it all but at the end of the day, if you don't have a good crew behind you, you're not able to accomplish much and I can say that we have a really great crew."
The shop is open from 5:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at 2351 Sunset Drive.
Go to xertzcoffee for more information.
