CREAM OF THE CROP Owner and CEO Mark Wattles picked three popular orders.
151 Caramel Macchiato $4.95 for a medium This is available iced or hot. It is made with salted caramel-infused milk.
BUSINESS FEATURE
151 Mocha $4.95 for a medium This drink is available iced or hot. It is a blend of espresso and chocolate milk.
Mark Wattles opened his rst 151 Co ee in North Richland Hills in 2017. (Photos by Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
151 Coee Business owner cultivates young adults’ success through drinks M ark Wattles said he came out of retire- ment to open 151 Coee in 2017 because he “got bored.” Another reason was he BY KAREN CHANEY
drinks are more dessert-based. Our No. 1 selling coee is an Americano, which is basically a high- end version of a brewed coee.” 151 Coee also serves customizable teas, energy drinks and smoothies. Wattles said he chose the business name based on a personal preference. “I like my milk temperature steamed at 150 degrees, and the reason I like it at 150 is because when you go up to 160 [degrees] … it’s too hot to drink,” he said. “The reason I named it ‘151’ is real simple: I didn’t think ‘150’ sounded cool, so I changed the temperature to 151 [degrees], which is what all our machines are set at.” When describing the ambiance of the shop, Wattles said it is high energy, music-oriented and fun. He said 95% of 151 Coee’s business is drive- thru; however, it does oer outside seating options at all locations. Although researching possible future locations takes up a lot of his time, Wattles said he tries to visit stores as often as possible. “The real job that makes this business successful is the barista, not the CEO,” he said. “If you lose touch with the frontline job in the business, you’re not going to make great decisions as a leader.”
151 N.R.G. Creamsicle $4.35 for a medium This infused energy drink contains orange and vanilla avors.
said he wanted to build another national chain. Wattles founded Hollywood Video in 1988, and in 2005, after building 2,000 company-owned stores, he sold the business. Wattles stated he does not have a college degree, which prompted an additional reason to launch the business that serves coees, teas and other beverages. “One of my missions is to create a [business] where young adults, without the necessity of college, can advance rapidly,” he said. “And by the time they are in their 30s, [they can] have a good enough income where they can support a family.” Wattles opened his rst 151 Coee in North Rich- land Hills in 2017. Since then, he has opened seven additional locations in the metroplex, including the Plano store in early 2021. The menu, Wattles said, is “coee-centric.” “About 85% of our business is coee, and within the coee category we have all the espresso-based coees that exist, [so] you can customize anything like at other coee places,” he said. “Some of our
151 Coee 1151 Preston Road, Plano 682-325-2124 www.151coee.com Hours: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
PLANO PKWY.
PGBT TOLL
N
Parents know their child’s education is more than just one high- stakes test on one day. Let’s prepare our students for the future, expand public school accountability, and Measure What Matters.
Ad paid by Raise Your Hand Texas
21
PLANO SOUTH EDITION • APRIL 2023
Powered by FlippingBook