It’s sort of like deja vu.
The old Exchange Bank branch at the corner of North Columbia Street and Roberson Mill Road/ Dunlap Road previously was torn down and replaced with two smaller business parcels.
Now, the old BB&T/ Truist branch at the at the corner of North Columbia Street and Roberson Mill Road/Dunlap Road is being torn down to make way for two smaller business parcels. Each of the two new business parcels at the old BB&T/Truist property has suitors. Dutch Bros Coffee has submitted multiple permits to the Milledgeville Planning & Zoning Office, while Whataburger this week submitted its “civil plans” to Planning & Zoning.
Although Dutch Bros is new to Georgia, it recently opened its 1,000th location, making it the third-largest coffee chain in the country, albeit a distant third, as Starbucks and Dunkin have roughly 17,000 and 10,000 locations, respectively. The first Georgia Dutch Bros opened on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins last July, and seven more have followed in short order, mostly in metro Atlanta. Dutch Bros is based in Oregon, and its first location opened in Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1992.
In terms of the menu, Dutch Bros isn’t exactly diabetic-friendly, and the sugary drink selection is expansive. Among the current “Seasonal Drinks” in rotation are the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Latte, the Fruit Punch Rebel With Sour Candy Straw, as well as the Kool Blue Fizz. The other drink categories are protein coffees, blended freezes, coffee classic, Dutch Bros Rebel Energy drinks, lemonades, teas, chai lattes, shakes, hot cocoas, smoothies and sparkling sodas. In terms of the snacks selection, there are four: the chocolate chip muffin top, the lemon poppyseed muffin top, the orange cranberry muffin top and the granola bar.
Then, there’s Whataburger, which has a cultlike following in its native Texas. Whataburger, however, didn’t enter Georgia until 2022. The Peach State currently has three Whataburger locations, including one in nearby Eatonton.
Whataburger is somewhat similar to Five Guys Burger, in terms of the “craft burger” concept, although Whataburger is not quite as expensive as Five Guys. Between its four different bun options, 11 sauces, condiments and add-ons, Whataburger offers “36,000 different customizable combinations,” according to its website.
Reconfiguring busy corner lots into smaller parcels certainly seems to be the business trend. Along with the old BB&T/Truist branch and the old Exchange Bank branch, a third corner lot at the same intersection previously underwent the same transformation, when the old Toyota dealership was torn down and replaced by Popeyes, Panda Express and Chipotle.
An average of 38,100 vehicles pass through that stretch of North Columbia Street daily, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s most recent average daily traffic count.