From Dutch Bros Barista to $20M Exit | Darren Spicer (Clutch Coffee Founder)

Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise 

Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ 

Get in touch with Darren:

https://110-ventures.com/ 

https://leapbrands.io/

Darren Spicer started as a barista at Dutch Bros.

Years later, after the company shut down its franchise program, he built his own drive-thru coffee chain from scratch, scaling it to 20 locations before selling it back to Dutch Bros in a $20M deal.

In this episode, Darren breaks down:

• How he went from employee to founder
  • The 80% pay cut he took to start Clutch Coffee
  • The real economics of drive-thru coffee
  • What it’s like managing 400+ hourly employees
  • Why site selection can make or break a chain
  • Growing 40% during COVID
  • The mistake that cost them $10K per month
  • And how the Dutch Bros acquisition actually came together

This is a full-cycle brick-and-mortar story, from barista to exit.

If you’re building (or thinking about building) a physical retail or franchise business, this episode is a masterclass in culture, real estate, and scaling the right way.