What are you grateful for today? That’s the question that employees leave customers with at BRU Coffee Hause. This new coffee drive-thru opened Aug. 3, just in time for Whitworth’s 2024-25 school year. Students can find BRU less than five minutes from campus on the corner of Division St. and Westview Ave.
What used to be an empty lot, owner Sigrid Houske has turned into a unique silo-shaped coffee stand. Houske says that when she first found the location four and a half years ago “it was just weeds. And I just knew. I had an awakening that day, like this is where my future is going to be. So, I pulled in and I wrote on a piece of paper this is where my coffee stand is going to go.”
At the time, Houske couldn’t afford the lot. She worked hard to save her money while crossing her fingers that no one else would buy it. Houske says “it was aligned in the stars for me” because four years later the location is now her own coffee paradise.
The menu includes a variety of snacks and drinks. Customers can choose from a list of coffees, smoothies, sandwiches and more. BRU offers specialty drinks as well, known as their “Bruski’s,” which are advertised on their social media. Since Oct. 1, the coffee stand has also been serving seasonal specials for fall. These “BRU Boo’s” include the Monster Matcha, the Hocus Pocus Bru Booster, the Bats & Cats ice cream shake and the Mr. Jack Pumpkinmallow coffee.
First-year Hannah Wells says, “I choose BRU over any other coffee shop because their coffee is just different than everywhere else.” Wells compares BRU Coffee Hause to other shops like Starbucks, saying that she appreciates that BRU has a slightly stronger roast of coffee.
Drinks come in BRU’s signature orange cups. The lid is plugged with an orange heart stopper and every cup comes with an orange sleeve. These sleeves are printed with quotes such as “Keep smilin’ Keep shinin’” and “Do better Be better BRU better.”
With these upbeat phrases, happy employees, signs put up outside the stand reading “PSA: BRU loves you” and questions like “What are you grateful for today?” BRU Coffee Hause is trying to bring more than coffee to their customers. When asked what that something is, employee Abi Bumb emphasizes, “joy, smiles and kindness.”
This is the brand that Houske is aiming to create. She said, “I knew I wanted to do something for community in my life. I didn’t know how I was going to do it.” She saw her idea for a coffee stand as the perfect outlet. “People come in the morning for coffee and they get our positivity.”
Houskee believes in the power of positivity. She’s experienced first-hand how important mindset is. Opening BRU wasn’t an easy process, as Houskee explains, “I had many people be like ‘you have to declare bankruptcy, it’s not going to work out.’ I had lots of hiccups.” Despite these setbacks, Houske persevered.
That’s why BRU serves a side of encouragement with every drink. This environment is what draws in students like sophomore Addi Thompson, who says, “They’re so positive there. The coffee is good. I feel like it’s not expensive, it’s cute and the cups are aesthetic. And I feel like it’s just a very positive place.”
BRU Coffee Hause is open between 4:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the week, and 5:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the weekends. Bumb, a BRU employee, encourages Whitworth students to come down to Bru saying, “We are a friendly face and great coffee!”
