New businesses are coming to Arlington, due to the town’s population and development growing immensely. Near the intersection of Airline Rd & Milton Wilson Blvd, business and construction is booming. The development of new shopping centers and restaurants brings in a wide variety for consumers, which is exciting for many. The local coffee shops, however, have some competition on the horizon.
Arlington has officially been approved for a Dunkin’ Donuts location, which will be sharing a building with Marco’s Pizza. “Marco’s will have only drive-thru pickup, while Dunkin’ will have limited seating,” says Micheal Waddell in an interview with The Daily Memphian. These new businesses will be opening up near the new Starbucks on Airline Rd. The Town of Arlington’s website also posted development plans for a Scooter’s Coffee. The well-known coffeehouse chain will be near the corner of Douglas St and Airline Rd. There seems to be a recent boom in coffee shops in Arlington, giving coffee lovers no shortage of options. With all of these new chain locations, Starbucks has more competition. Considering it’s proximity to its competitor, it’ll be interesting to see how Dunkin’ affects their business.
“There’s going to be more of a variety, which I think is nice because there’s lots of options. More coffee for everyone,” says Ethan Figgins, a partner at Starbucks for 3 years. With Starbucks being located right next to AHS, a lot of their business is from students around school hours and events. With the new addition of Dunkin’ Donuts, employees are hopeful the rushes will be more manageable. “Our rush hours are going to get better, but there’s also a negative side. We could get more customers because Arlington will be seen as having a lot of coffee shops,” states Ethan, “I feel like it’s going to affect business I just don’t know which way it’ll go.” As Ethan was explaining, Arlington may attract a lot more customers following the new businesses. The Town of Arlington, Shelby County’s formally known “best kept secret,” isn’t so secret anymore.
