Editor's note: Lola Beans announced December 2 that the Jeters expanded their original 15-unit agreement to an area representative deal of 120-plus locations for the state of Texas.
You can’t talk about Kirk and Coleen Jeter’s relationship without mentioning franchising.
Kirk Jeter grew up in the restaurant industry, starting work at 12 years old with his dad, a McDonald’s franchisee out of Buffalo, New York, before following in his footsteps by later becoming a manager and franchisee in the brand.
Jeter’s work eventually brought him to Atlanta when McDonald’s selected him to represent the brand’s Pittsburgh region in the Olympic Village for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
It only seems fitting that a McDonald’s was where a spontaneous meet-cute would happen between Kirk and Coleen, then a physical therapist living in the city.
Coleen and Kirk Jeter are former McDonald's franchisees who today operate Wingstop and Crumbl locations. The couple recently inked a 15-unit deal with Lola Beans for the Dallas-Fort Worth metro.
“I happened to be going through the drive-thru … and as I pulled in, I saw Kirk,” said Coleen Jeter. “He approached my car and motioned for me to roll down the window. He said, ‘Your smile is so beautiful. I noticed it across the parking lot.’ I often tease him and say he definitely supersized that day.”
Since then, the Jeters have taken over the family business with a handful of multi-unit endeavors.
The couple operated four McDonald’s units for about a decade and have gone on to open 17 Wingstop units in North Carolina since 2016 and three Crumbl units in Maryland since 2022.
Now based in North Carolina, the Jeters hopped on the beverage trend by signing a 15-unit deal with drive-thru coffee concept Lola Beans. Coleen Jeter said she and her husband were attracted to the concept’s staying power and see their next venture as a way to scale in a buzzy segment.
“We decided we wanted to pivot and take a different position with franchising,” she said. “As we were starting our search and looking for our next big venture, we decided to explore something that had a little bit more of a simplistic presence. We loved the customer-facing product delivery … and the excitement of something that was up and coming.”
Husband and wife Donny and Missy Bradley founded Lola Beans in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2020. Just two company locations are open.
With a menu consisting of coffee, dirty sodas and plant-based energy drinks, the emerging concept joins the likes of larger player 7 Brew, which doubled its unit count in the last year to around 460 units, and dirty soda franchise Swig, on track to have 146 units by the end of this year. It's also competing against other drive-thru coffee franchises such as Scooter's, Ziggi's and Biggby.
Related: Franchise Equity Partners Invests in Large 7 Brew Franchisee
All 15 units are set to open in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, making the Jeters the first to grow Lola Beans outside of Tennessee, all while prepping for the next generation of franchisees in their family.
“We have children that want to grow and develop and work within the business, so that was a huge consideration for us in terms of how many [units],” Coleen Jeter said. “We feel that in the state of Texas, it’s a drop in the bucket in terms of density and scalability and what the cities and towns can hold.”
As another brand joins their portfolio, the couple has found inspiration from the lessons they’ve learned over the years—good and bad.
Top of the list, said Coleen Jeter, has been developing a solid infrastructure from day one. Establishing relationships early on with a real estate broker, bankers, attorneys and accountants while building a supportive back office has been essential for success in multi-unit franchising.
The cost to open a Lola Beans franchise ranges from $826,250 to $1.2 million, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document.
Across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, the Jeters plan for their footprint to reach a variety of markets, from established cities shared by competitors to emerging suburban and rural towns in need of a drive-thru coffee presence.
The first of 15 units is expected to open in the first quarter of next year. Ahead of the brand’s Texas debut, the couple is strategizing about marketing tactics, such as celebrating community events and creating flavored drinks that represent the local high school teams.
“I’m excited for this new chapter that our family will embark upon in helping to introduce the brand to millions of people,” said Coleen Jeter. “It’s going to be such a big splash … and we’re really excited about this opportunity and what it will bring to the Dallas-Fort Worth market and beyond.”