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BRIDGE CITY — Lava Java Coffee, a coffee drive-thru from Vidor, opened its second location in Bridge City at 1395 Texas Ave. on Jan. 2, 2025. The new location features a double drive-thru lane that caters to the “on-the-go” customers who just don’t have time to lounge at a coffee house.

The coffee shop, owned by Kamie and Heath Sheppard of Vidor, offers a wide range of coffee drinks, including sugar-free options, as well as a variety of energy drinks called Zipfizz, Red Bull Blasters, Lotus Tea and Spark.

The drive-thru coffee house concept came from people watching at a coffee shop.

“I think it was more the concept of everybody is in a hurry and they don’t want to sit in a coffee shop,” Heath Sheppard said. “I was watching some of the customers at a sit-down coffee parking lot, and they would get out of their vehicle, walk across the parking lot carrying their cup, go in, wait in line, get their coffee and walk back and get in their car. And we just thought if they could just drive through either side, then that’s going to be a big hit, it was going to be popular.”

The Sheppard’s created double drive-thru lanes for both directions of travel at their coffee spots.

“It’s really convenient for customers to grab their cup of joe and go on with their lives,” he said. “Which is pretty much all of us nowadays. I think we’re in a hurry. Customers don’t want or really have time to spend sitting around with their laptop and having a coffee and a bagel or something and working on their computer. I don’t think a lot of people are doing that anymore, since a lot of their stuff is done on their phone. Then they tend to just swing by, grab what they need and keep going.”

The idea of the coffee shop is inspired by coffee houses located near the Canadian border.

“My parents worked in jobs where they traveled around a lot all over the country,” he said. “So, whenever they finally settled down, up and near the Canadian border in North Idaho, there’s a lot of different types of drinks and stuff up there that aren’t necessarily available around here, like Zipfizz, Sparks, Red Bull Blasters and the Lotus Teas.  That’s how we differ from other coffee shops.”

Kamie Sheppard said Spark and Zipfizz are more of a vitamin and mineral drink.

“I call them an all-day energy drink.,” she said. “The Lotus tea, that’s just a fruity plant-based energy drink. And then our blasters are the Red Bull flavors.

They use a house blend of Idaho coffee, ground on-site, and emphasize quality, customer service, and reasonable prices.

“I mean, a good flavor coffee that people have really, really enjoyed, you know, really latched on the flavor of it,” Heath said. “We continue to get our regulars that come in and have their Americanos, because they just love the flavor of the coffee. And we really try to have real good customer service and keep a smile on our face to let people know that we’re not just trying to get rush them through, but we want to say, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ You know, just be friendly. And we appreciate them too. So, having that good customer service is really what we strive for and offer a good quality drink.”

 With over 2,000 Facebook followers, Lava Java owners say they value community support and plan to celebrate their first anniversary with special offers.

For more information follow Lava Java Texas on Facebook.