UPDATE: Iconic Coffee + Energy takes drive-thru concept literally

Aidan Singh’s idea for a startup business has been percolating through his head for some time and now he’s preparing to unveil his new beverage business and its unique drive-through drive-thru.  The Bettendorf entrepreneur has transformed a shuttered oil change shop — complete with two indoor drive-through bays – into his Iconic Coffee + Energy. […]

Aidan Singh’s idea for a startup business has been percolating through his head for some time and now he’s preparing to unveil his new beverage business and its unique drive-through drive-thru.  The Bettendorf entrepreneur has transformed a shuttered oil change shop — complete with two indoor drive-through bays – into his Iconic Coffee + Energy. The shop is located at 2777 18th St., across from Bettendorf’s Learning Campus. The coffee shop opened Monday morning, after a soft opening last weekend.   “Why drive thru when you can drive through?” he said, riffing on one of his company’s taglines. In fact, he believes he now has the nation’s first fully enclosed (and heated), double drive-through coffee/energy bar. 

Iconic Energy Bar, for short, will serve up a variety of infused energy beverages, flavorful coffees, smoothies, teas and chais – all prepared fresh while customers sit comfortably in their cars inside the drive-through bays and out of the elements. “It’s all energy,” Mr. Singh said of his menu lineup, which also will include sugar-free and gluten-free energy drinks as well as some grab and go snacks.  The building’s minimal footprint — with most of its space dedicated to two indoor driving lanes — leaves no room for indoor seating. But customers will find a walkup window for what he predicts will be high traffic from the nearby Bettendorf High School.   After his original site in west Davenport fell through, a real estate agent suggested the closed oil shop. “It smelled like oil when we first walked in, had exposed mechanicals, the (oil change) pits and 220-gallon oil drums,” he said, recalling his first impressions.  But seeing past the building’s automotive roots, Mr. Singh was hooked by the fact that his customers could actually drive into the building and receive their orders.  After getting the necessary city approvals for his project, Mr. Singh worked — along with his parents, Ajay and Tammy Singh of Bettendorf — as their own general contractor on the project. “It was a huge help having both my parents along,” he told the QCBJ.  He also hired a project construction team that included: Streamline Architects (Luz Upegui, project manager); RTM Engineering Consultants (Calisse McPherson, project principal), and Plan North Construction (Ryan Schertz) for project management. The project was financed by Community Bank & Trust.  He did not disclose the startup’s total cost, but said he invested more than $200,000 in the renovations and coffee shop’s equipment.  But retrofitting an oil change shop took some creativity and ingenuity. One of the first construction tasks was to address the open, underground pit areas. “We had to build structural walls — there’s three concrete filled walls with steel beams in each bay” and both pits were filled in with new concrete flooring.

“He wanted it to feel as natural as driving into your own garage,” his father, Ajay Singh, said.  In addition to a 1,440-square-foot main level, the building’s full basement provides space for on-site product storage. “I didn’t want my staff to have to drive somewhere to be picking up supplies. Now (the supplies) are 20 steps away from the production space.” That 380-square-foot production space occupies some of the ground floor.  Another perk was the building’s existing radiant-heated floors.  By city code, the site was required to be able to accommodate six cars parking (or what is known as stacking) at a time. Rather than just meet code, Mr. Singh had the parking lot extended by building a new massive retaining wall, bringing in fill and creating new parking and driveway space.   “Now 17 cars can sit at a time” in the lot and double drive-thru lanes, he said. Launching his new Iconic Coffee + Energy fulfills a career goal for the 2019 Bettendorf High School graduate, who said the college route was not for him. “I knew I wanted to own my own business.”  In fact, after high school he had his own car detailing business and worked for an area coffee shop. For a short time, he moved to Des Moines, where he worked for another coffee shop and soaked up all he could about the real estate side of business. It was there, he said, he also gained insight into how to start his own business. “Working at the coffee shop resonated with me — talking with the customers, getting to know them.”   He also did research on becoming a business owner. “I’m a visual learner, so I watched a lot of business owners on YouTube and people talking about how they got started and how real estate works.”  Mr. Singh also leaned on advice from his parents. His father has had a long career in real estate development and his mother is a small business owner herself. As he was growing up and still today, he has watched her own and operate the Academy For The Performing Arts dance studio in downtown Moline. “They both gave me great moral support,” he said.   “I’ve been daydreaming about it (the business) for awhile,” said Mr. Singh, who is hiring up to 25 new employees — mostly high school and college-age — to staff Iconic Energy Bar. “I’ll be working in the shop, serving up drinks. I want to show my employees I’ll be here with them every day and do the work they’re doing.”  Tentatively, his hours will be 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. For more information, visit iconicenergybar.com. “What better way to help your community than bringing your business here,” he said of returning to his hometown to launch his Iconic Energy Bar. “Every first-time business owner worries about not having enough customers. I’m hoping the Bettendorf community will come out and support me.”