Grab-n-go Starbucks coming to former Sonic site in Totowa

Doren Development won planning board approval last week to transform a vacant fast-food site along Route 46 in Totowa into a grab-n-go Starbucks.

After shuttering about four years ago , the 1-acre property at 244 Route 46 will be reactivated, beginning with a projected Aug. 1 start date to retrofit the site.

The unique, 1,715-square-foot drive-thru only location represents a newer concept from coffeehouse giant Starbucks, according to Doren Development Director of Leasing Anthony Doren. The Totowa Planning Board approved the plan at its July 10 meeting, he told NJBIZ.

"It is a drive-thru, but it is a grab-and-go," Doren explained. The design lets customers order online and pick-up at the store. That means orders cannot be placed inside, he said. "It's going to be mobile ordering, go inside, park, pick it up and leave."

Starbucks did not return a request for more information about these kinds of locations or whether the Totowa site is the state's first.

According to Doren, the layout emphasizes convenience and access. In that regard, its location along Route 46 is a boon. More than 130,000 vehicles per day traffic the roadway. The site includes 27 proposed parking spaces.

"It is on the eastbound side, 'the morning side,'" Doren said. "So it will be pretty jammed there in the morning. And it's quick and easy: park, get out of the car, grab your coffee and head to work."

For the company, the opportunity is also one to cultivate community. Plans for the Route 46 store include outdoor seating. On its website , Doren Development highlights the property's untapped potential as a destination, "a gathering place where people could come together to enjoy great coffee, delicious treats and meaningful connections."

Full circle

Doren has experience building Starbucks. Elsewhere in Totowa, for example, the company built the full caf location at Totowa Crossing . Meanwhile, it also completed a drive-thru only location in Lyndhurst around the same time.

And for Doren Development, there are more on the horizon.

Doren told NJBIZ his company currently has six Starbucks in the works in places like South Jersey and Morris County. The Passaic County project in Totowa is the first to get moving.

Based in Passaic, family-owned Doren's portfolio also features QuickCheks, Wawas and a new concept coming to New Jersey, 7 Brew Coffee .

"We work with a lot of local and regional and national tenants," Doren explained. He said the firm currently has between 10-15 projects going.

In Totowa, Doren Development purchased the property a few months ago. The company declined to disclose the purchase price.

In a way, Starbucks' forthcoming arrival at the recently approved site is a full-circle moment.

"Starbucks actually wanted to lease it to the previous owners 10 years ago," Doren explained. "But the previous owners decided to go with Sonic and, as you know, a lot of Sonics are closing now. They didn't do well in the New Jersey-New York market."

The Sonic Drive-In opened in Totowa in 2009 . At the time, the location was the third-fastest in the chain's history to hit $1 million in sales - in just 54 days, according to reports.

Doren Development expects the work in Totowa to wrap up in the first quarter of 2025.

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ICYMI

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