Summit Coffee Co., a local coffee shop based in Davidson, North Carolina, is coming to Franklin Street.
Dora Callahan, vice president of brand development for Summit, said she is hopeful for a grand opening on Oct. 9, with a soft opening a few days before.
“We recognize the realities of COVID-19, and we were able to figure out a model that worked for us in our other locations,” Callahan said. “We want to get a foothold in this area. We want people to know what Summit is, as well as ensuring that our customers feel safe.”
Summit first opened in 1998, according to its website.
In addition to its original Davidson location, Summit has a cafe in Asheville as well as an outpost on the campus of Davidson College, and it will be opening two more cafes in Charlotte and Asheville this fall.
Caroline Keesler, a sophomore at UNC, has been a fan of Summit since she first tasted their chai tea latte and said she couldn’t be more excited for the new addition on Franklin Street.
“My family has been a fan of Davidson College for my entire life, and Summit Coffee Co. is Davidson’s original spot,” Keesler said. “Whenever we would go to basketball games in Davidson, we would always stop at Summit, so the shop is full of happy memories for me and my family.”
Keesler, like many other UNC students, said coffee shops do more for the community than just serving food and drinks. She said coffee shops allow students to be around people in a social environment, and she thinks having more coffee shops off campus will help first-years acclimate to the Chapel Hill community.
Kate Swartwout, store manager for the location in Chapel Hill, previously worked at the original Davidson location and said she is confident in the sanitization steps that Summit is taking.
