OPENING ALERT

Favorite Stone Oak café debuts new San Antonio drive-thru

The new Pan & Coffee carries pastries for the morning and sandwiches for lunch.

A Stone Oak café known for its slow-rise artisan breads is pressing the gas on its San Antonio expansion. Pan & Coffee has opened a second drive-thru location at 1110 Brooklyn Ave. near downtown.

Husband-and-wife team Andrea and Roberto Rodriguez, along with in-laws Laura and Eric Lawitz, opened the concept at 19298 Stone Oak Pkwy in 2021, drawing on each of the family’s heritages. Andrea’s and Laura’s side owned bakeries in Mexico, while Roberto's father owned coffee plantations.

Though the cuisine had roots in Mexico, the foursome took a more international approach to their fare. The menu globetrots through molletes and huevos machacados, French quiches and sandwiches, Mediterranean salads, Cuban tortas, and a classic American grilled cheese.

The new location, dubbed Pan & Coffee Go, speeds up the formula for harried workday lunchtimes. The owners built on the infrastructure of a former Bank of America branch, adding a walk-up window for nearby pedestrians.

Much of the prep work takes place in Stone Oak, helping the Brooklyn Avenue team keep lines moving. A release states the offerings aren’t just coffee and pastries — the location serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches, smoothies, and more.

While the downtown flip was brisk, the restaurant group is taking its time on a third showpiece outpost at 27503 IH-10W in Boerne. The upcoming café will cater to neighbors who want to linger over a Hill Country breakfast in a large dining room or spacious patio.

Pan & Coffee has not announced the exact opening dates for the Boerne spot, but in a social media comment, it estimated that the Boerne location would be up and running by the end of 2026. In a release, the owners hinted that the three locations were only the start,

“We want Pan & Coffee to become a familiar part of people’s everyday lives, whether they visit us to sit down with family, meet a friend for coffee, or simply pick up a great breakfast or lunch on their way to work,” said Roberto Rodriguez in a statement. “As we grow, our commitment to quality and hospitality will always remain the same.”

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SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Black Rifle Coffee sounds retreat with San Antonio-area closure

Black Rifle Coffee Company/ Facebook

Much of Black Rifle's branding relies on its tough-guy reputation.

After a decade of being one of the U.S.’s most provocative chains, Black Rifle Coffee Company is in retreat. Facing third-quarter losses of $8.7 million, the company is closing 12 locations, including the outpost at 3000 IKEA-RBFCU Pkwy in Live Oak in 2027, a rep confirms.

Evan Hafer, a former Green Beret and CIA contractor, launched the Black Rifle Coffee Company in 2014 with fellow veterans, Mat Best and Jarred Taylor. Their military service shaped the branding. Roasts were dubbed Thin Blue Line and AK-47. A pumpkin spice blend features a jack-o'-lantern shaped like a grenade.

At first, growth was explosive. After the pandemic, the brand expected its revenue to reach $230 million, propelled by a robust subscription service. It also began pursuing physical locations, opening its first licensed branch in Boerne in 2019 and a company-owned store in San Antonio in 2020.

In 2021, it hoped to raise $225 million by transforming into a publicly traded business. At the time, the brand said the deal had the potential to open more than 1,3000 locations nationwide.

By then, Black Rifle was already embroiled in America’s culture wars. When Starbucks pledged to hire 10,000 refugees in response to President Donald Trump’s 2017 Muslim travel ban, the company countered with a plan to hire the same number of vets. Later, Kyle Rittenhouse and January 6 rioters were photographed wearing the brand’s gear.

Then came a 2021 The New York Times Magazine profile with the headline: “Can the Black Rifle Coffee Company Become the Starbucks of the Right?” Hafer drew backlash from the right for condemning racists and Proud Boys, leading to a flood of hate mail and — at least on social media — a call to boycott the brand.

Hafer is no longer the public face of the brand, stepping down as CEO in 2023 to become the executive chairman. His successor, former Marine Chris Mondzelewski, has since weathered the stock bottoming out below dollar shares in 2026. Black Rifle has since gained compliance with the New York Stock Exchange through packaged coffee sales instead of cafés.

The popularity of its grocery store offerings is key to Black Rifle’s recovery strategy. In addition to closing a dozen outposts, the company is modifying the leases of eight more stores it no longer intends to develop.

"These actions mark a significant step toward a more asset-light operating model, which we expect will support franchise-led retail growth, lower capital requirements, and create a more efficient cost structure," it said in its quarterly report.

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