Residents of the Greater Lansing area are no strangers to Biggby Coffee. One of the important parts of the Biggby structure is being a locally-owned, franchise-based organization. People like Anthony (Andy) Bunnell, owner and operator of Biggby Coffee in Holt, hope when people come to his shop, they know they’re coming to Andy’s Biggby.
Biggby has been an important part of the Bunnell family since 2009 when Andy opened his first coffee shop on Jolly Road in Delhi Township. But as a resident of Holt, Andy was especially excited when the opportunity came to open another Biggby in Holt. After initially opening in 2019, the new shop got off to a slow start due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Andy and his team weathered the storm and have been serving customers in Holtfor three years.
Both before and after the pandemic, Andy and his team were listening closely to their customers and figuring out what changes needed to be made. One message became clear – customers wanted a drive-thru. It was a must for everyone from weekday work commuters to parents with children. After the shutdown in 2020, it was even more apparent that in order for a coffee shop like Andy’s Biggby to survive, a drive-thru was imperative.
The current Holt location on Cedar Street does not have a drive-thru, which forced Andy to shut his doors for several months in 2020. The space was also in need of renovations. That’s when Andy started talking to another small business owner, Gravity Smokehouse & BBQ, about their previous location in Holt. Andy and his team made the decision to move the Holt Biggby to this building and make it a drive-thru only with a
walk up window.
“We wanted to move to a place with a drive-thru to better serve our customers,” said Andy. “We heard from our customers that this was something they really wanted. We searched through the area and came to know Gravity, which had moved.”
While the new outdoor only format is going to be a change for some customers, Andy, his team, and some of their customers have been brainstorming ways to still make it a gathering place where people can stay and visit. Andy envisions an outdoor space that will work in all seasons; a place where they can host special events or people can play a game of cornhole. The new location is right next to the river trail walk/bike path which connects Lansing to Holt to Mason.
Andy and his team have also been trying out a drive-thru-only and walk-up format at their newest
Biggby location in South Lansing on Pennsylvania Avenue, which they opened in Oct. 2021. Andy’s daughter and son-in-law opened this location and have seen a very positive response.
The new Holt location is set to open in summer/fall of 2022, depending on supply chain availability for updating the new space.
“We want to be a strong part of the community,” Andy said. “It’s like any relationship, you have to work at it. We’re trying to do the right thing we can for the right reasons.”
Biggby Coffee of Holt is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 517.709.3923, biggby.com.