Westminster has a new local spot for your morning coffee fix, and it arrived on wheels.
Husky Hut Coffee is a mobile drive-thru coffee business currently operating three to four days a week in a Westminster lot near the corner of Englar Road and Monroe Street. The modified bus serves up specialty drinks with an adventure-inspired menu and a mission to make every customer feel seen.
The business is run by a husband-and-wife team: Andrew Cooper, an analyst, and Robin Cooper, a school psychologist who is leaving her full-time position shortly to run the coffee operation.
"I plan to run the coffee business as my full-time gig," Robin said. "I have found that my psychology background translates nicely into being a barista, as I am good at building rapport and connection. And letting people have a moment to feel seen and heard."
From out west to Westminster
The idea grew out of the couple's time living on the West Coast, where independent drive-thru coffee stands are a fixture of daily life.
When they returned east in 2021, they set out to find a drive-thru brick-and-mortar property, but quickly ran into a wall. Maryland's zoning laws made pad sites difficult to secure, so they pivoted to a mobile model.
The bus they’re running their business from came with a story of its own. The Coopers found it on Facebook Marketplace, listed by a South African man who had opened a coffee shop in Michigan after a career as a professional game hunter in Africa.
"We overnighted at his house when we drove out to look at the bus and slept underneath a lion he had hunted," Robin recalled. "It was a pretty remarkable and wild experience."
Husky Hut has operated as a side hustle since 2023, but the couple recently secured a permanent spot. They reached out to a local property owner last October to inquire about a brick-and-mortar lease, and the owner agreed to let them run their business from the parking lot while building renovations are ongoing. The building, located next to Bowman’s Feed & Pet, formerly housed Admiral West Cleaners.
Nearly 1,000 drinks in two weeks
The response since opening has been swift. "The first two weeks have been amazing," Robin said. "There has been an outpouring of community support and positive response. People seem really excited to have a different drive-up option than the big chains."
By the end of their second week, Husky Hut had sold nearly 1,000 drinks. "That feels like a huge deal to us," Robin said. "We are so grateful."
The menu leans into the owners' love of travel and the outdoors. Drinks like the Grizzly Latte and the Gold Rush Latte are designed to evoke a sense of wanderlust. The couple has visited 30 national parks, and their nearly two-year-old has already traveled to Iceland, Greece, and Italy. "We are extremely passionate about living a life full of adventure and experience," Robin said.
The customization options at Husky Hut are extensive. As Robin recently noted in comments on one of their TikTok videos, they carry more than a dozen flavor syrups: vanilla, white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar, brown sugar cinnamon, banana, coconut, lavender, huckleberry, blackberry, strawberry, lime, peach, and cherry. They have sugar-free versions available for several flavors, including white chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar cinnamon. A sugar-free blueberry syrup is also being added to the lineup to accommodate a sugar-free blueberry vanilla matcha.
Their goal, though, is a simple one: "Our primary goal is to be a tiny bright spot in people's day. We want people to leave feeling 'seen' and appreciated."
Follow Husky Hut Coffee on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for hours and other updates. As of publication, the drive-thru location at 107 Englar Road operates Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and occasionally on Saturdays.
@huskyhutcoffee ✨️🎶 WAKE UP KIDS, WE GOT THE DREAMERS DISEASE ✨️🎶 Wrapping up our first week at our new Westminster location 🫶 and wow… what a feeling. We... See more