New Bikini Coffee Shop Opens in Phoenix Bikini Beans Espresso is steaming up the place with a roster of attractive scantily clad women serving drive-through coffee. At least they're dressed for the weather. Bikini-clad baristas are the selling point for Bikini Beans Espresso, a new drive-through coffee shop that opens Saturday, May 17, in midtown Phoenix. The new drive-through "sexpresso" shop will feature a menu similar to Dutch Brothers and Starbucks, but with an emphasis on simplicity and clarity, said Regina Lyles, who co-owns Bikini Beans Espresso with her husband, Ben. Coffee Drinks with a Twist The menu will include hot- and iced-coffee drinks, smoothies, shakes and an exclusive Red Bull drink made with strawberry syrup, vanilla syrup, and a splash of orange juice. The store also will offer fresh Danish pastries, oatmeal, and Clif Bars, Lyles said. "What's better than getting a cup of coffee from a girl with a great personality in a bikini?" Lyles asked. It's the latest in a subgenre of restaurants known as "breastaurants," which include Hooters, Twin Peaks, and the Tilted Kilt. In 2012, the Barista Cafe in Scottsdale attempted to win customers with a similar appeal, a la women dressed in short shorts and sports bras, but the coffeepot ran dry within the year. Bikini Beans Espresso, on the other hand, is stripping down to the barely clad. With just days until the coffee shop's grand opening, the employees are catching up on their tans. Grand Opening Preparations "The #bikinibeanbabes are always sunbathing to prepare for the big day to finally meet all of our wonderful supporters. Catch us rockin' out some of the hottest bikinis serving you the yummiest of specialty coffee AZ has ever tasted!" the Bikini Beans Espresso Facebook page says. "Sexpresso" started in 2007 when Seattle-based coffee shops started looking for alternative ways to serve espresso in an already caffeinated market. They may be onto something. In 2013, men 18-54 spent almost $7 billion at coffee shops, according to STUDYLOGIC, a New York-based marketing research company. - Ryan Van Velzer, The Republic
